


The Long and Exciting Life of Kreet the Kobold - Life 2

by Bluedraggy



Series: Kreet [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 53
Words: 92,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24128515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluedraggy/pseuds/Bluedraggy
Summary: I started this 2nd Life story a long time ago but got stuck for a year. Back into it now with some new artwork by KuroNeko as well. Let me explain something though. Kreet herself was originally a D&D character I played who took on a life of her own in this story. The D&D campaign was short-lived but Kreet isn't! What follows is a story AFTER the D&D campaign. You aren't expected to know the new characters, and I explain the important points of the D&D campaign. Just bare with Kreet for a chapter or two and it will work itself out. Also I stole the character of Sigmundurr and made him my own for this.
Series: Kreet [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740988
Comments: 46
Kudos: 7





	1. Awakening (Kreet 33)

She woke up with a terrible pain in her head that seemed to throb with the beating of her heart. She was lying sprawled across a bed in an unfamiliar room. Though she was alone, she did hear voices from somewhere not far away. As her memory returned, Kreet realized where she must be.

She'd never drank much before. Of course, working as a tavern wench she had drank a bit of mead and ale on occasion, but she'd always found the taste unpleasant and the effects it had on the patrons was not really one she was keen to experience. So she stayed away from the stuff.

Until last night. Oh Pelor! Did she really? With the kobold bartender?! What was she thinking? What if she was pregnant? The worst part was, she could barely remember it. It had been her first real sexual experience beyond her furtive and doomed fumblings with Brand, and she could barely even recall what had happened.

She sat up. At least she was alone. Probably one of the band of adventurers she had been traveling with had carried her up here after she'd passed out. She hoped. Her gold was probably gone by now. She shook her head and the room spun. Somehow, her gold seemed the most important thing in her life. If she actually had gotten pregnant last night, she was going to need it!

Kreet stumbled out into the second-story hallway and headed toward the main tavern room. A man passed by, staring at her as if he'd never seen a kobold before - which was unlikely given that this tavern specialized in catering to the smaller folk like kobolds. She ignored him. Her brain still felt mushy, so she shrugged if off. She had to know if her gold was still hers.

As she descended the stairs to the common room, she was relieved to see most of her companions were still there. Most importantly, she saw the big man she'd entrusted with it, Sigmundurr, and she saw he still kept it nearby.

Eyes began to turn in her direction and the crowd's din quieted. She looked left and right. Why were they looking at her like that?

And then a cheer went up that resolved into, "KREET! KREET! KREET!" She looked to her companions and the big man came over to her, after grabbing a rather dirty tablecloth.

"Kreet! Glad to see you awake again!" said the big man.

"What's going on? Why are they... "

"Well, for one thing, it's not often they get to see a naked female kobold," Sigmundurr laughed.

Suddenly she looked down as he wrapped the tablecloth around her. If she could blush, she would have been bright red. Instead her eyes turned a deep shade of violet and she tried to crawl inside her new wrapping. The squeak she let out was unintelligible in any language, but completely understandable. Kreet was certainly not any sort of exhibitionist.

"Kreet, stop that. It's okay. They love you here!" said the giant - giant to her eyes anyway - and he pulled her back as she tried to flee up the stairs.

Kreet relented and followed him back towards the table where her companions were, but she kept the tablecloth tightly closed and pulled the corner of the tablecloth over her head in embarassment.

"Kreet!" said the monk named Dinkle, rising as she took a chair as far away and as out of sight from the rest of the patrons as she could. "Welcome back! Shall I order another round?"

Suddenly she realized something. She turned to Sigmundurr.

"How long have I been sleeping?"

He looked at her puzzled, "Since last night."

"We put you to bed around midnight," the ranger Aeverin interjected. "You've slept the whole day and now it's early evening. You don't drink often, do you?"

Kreet shook her head but then another thought struck her. Her eyes darted to the bag of gold beside the big man. "How much is left!" she screamed as she realized the bag was considerably smaller than last she'd seen it.

Sigmundurr shrugged, but the monk smiled. "Thus far your largess to the local population amounts to exactly 128 gold since arriving. You are now officially the most popular kobold that has ever set foot in this fine establishment. There is talk of erecting a statue in your honor... and after your entrance just now, I expect the statue will be much more accurate!"

At hearing the figure, the little kobold let out another squeak and her face became forlorn.

"No more?" the big man asked. He was a crude sort, and terribly, terribly violent. Not stupid by any means, but tended to pursue his immediate thought without consideration. Fortunately for Kreet, he'd taken a liking to her. He easily could have ran off with her gold, but he didn't seem inclined to do so.

"Please. No more!" she managed to say over the crowd noise.

She found herself nodding as the other patrons cheered her and raised their glasses too, her smile halfhearted. And then she saw the bartender. He was beaming at her as if she were a goddess. She wasn't sure she could face him. But then the ranger motioned him over to their table and he came scurrying up like a puppy.

"Yes? Is there anything I can do for you? Perhaps, Miss Kreet, you'd like to visit me again in the back room?"

"NO!" Kreet screamed too-loudly, but saw the hurt look on his face. He really was a cute little kobold. He stood a little shorter than her, but she was a bit taller than most kobolds. Now his eyes seemed to be glistening with impending tears. If only she could remember his name...

"I'm sorry. No, I'm... Just no. Sorry, um... what was your name again?"

"Kreet! Don't you remember? I'm Kallid! You remember we... last night... You were magnificent!"

"I'm sorry Kallid. I'm... sure you were too. I drank a lot though. My memory isn't what it should be."

"What the Lady wanted, barkeep, is to shut off our tab. The party is over," Sigmundurr interrupted menacingly.

"Oh!" the little kobold said, looking around. "Oh, they're not going to like that."

The big man puffed up at that. "If Kreet says the party's over, the party's over. If anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with me!"

"Oh, to be sure! Please, no need to be offended! But... maybe before I announce it, you'd like to go back to your room? It would probably be best."

Kreet and the others nodded their agreement.

"Yes, come if you want guys. Let's go back to my room. I need to figure out what's happened. I... don't remember a lot."

"Certainly!" Sigmundurr said, rising from his chair. It banged to the floor as it lost its grip on his thighs. The ranger, Aeverin, and Dinkle the monk rose to follow, while the others chose to stay.

Once in her room, they all heard the moans from below as the announcement was made, but it was soon followed by more chants of "KREET! KREET!". 

"You've made quite an impression!" Dinkle said as he sat on one of the chairs while Sigmundurr and Aeverin sat on the bed.

"Guys, would you mind terribly looking away for a minute? I'd like to change."

"What is it Kreet?" Sigmundurr asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Um... Would you mind refreshing me on what's been happening? I remember you all, but my brain's gone all fuzzy. Last thing I really remember clearly when we were all in that slaver's cage."

"The cage? You forgot everything since then?" Sigmundurr bellowed.

"Well, I remember bits. But it's all confused. Just... give me the basics."

The three turned away from her while she got her clothes off the floor and put them on underneath the tablecloth.

Aeverin began, "Well, you know, that guard let us out. And then Sig killed that crazed wizard. Threw him down the spider pit."

"Then on the way out we found that princess or whatever she was," Sigmundurr continued.

"Right, I remember her..."

Aeverin resumed, "and we all agreed to help get her out and to this city, but we ran into some elf bitch."

"And then you cast that disarm spell, that apparently released some cursed sword from her hand, and she turned into a cloud of locusts!" the monk concluded.

"Oh! I remember now. And that's where..."

"Yeah... you found that gold. 1000 gold. That you tried to hide from us, but got Sigmundurr to carry for you anyway. Kreet, it's not like we didn't notice!"

"And I've already spent 128 of it..." Kreet cried, looking at the dwindling bag.

"Plus expenses..." Aeverin added cheerily.

"And my 3 gold for carrying it," Sigmundurr chimed in.

Kreet used a word then that she really didn't use all that often.

The monk continued, "In addition to your room, we have 2 other rooms we have to pay for."

"Wait! Don't you guys have any money of your own? Why do I have to pay for everything?"

"I have 3 gold," Sigmundurr confessed. Kreet rolled her eyes.

"Kreet, until a couple days ago we were slaves. Not exactly a good paying job," Aeverin pointed out.

"Oh, dammit. So what do I have left after expenses?"

'You still have exactly 742 gold left," the monk said, that annoying smile still stuck on his face.

"I guess I'd better give you guys some," Kreet said, her eyes now a smouldering blue.

"That would be a nice gesture," the monk smiled.

"There are 9 of us."

Kreet began doing some calculations in her head. She'd never been trained much in mathematics, and it made her head hurt.

"Might I suggest 25 gold each? That would come to 225 altogether, leaving you with 517."

The monk's smiling face was beginning to really grate on Kreet's nerves as he calmly told her she had essentially lost half her fortune in one day. But then she sighed. What would a kobold do with money anyway? She was a cleric of Pelor and had spent it on drink and... debauchery.

"I guess that's fair. Dinkle, you're obviously good with math. Would you mind handing it out to the others? But I'd really like to try and get home now. I've had enough of this adventuring, and I have no idea where I am."

"Certainly, Kreet," said the monk and he began counting out the coins nearby.

"You're not staying with us?" Sigmundurr asked. As powerful and fierce has she'd seen him, she'd come to like him for some reason, even if she'd used her own small magic against him on occasion already.

"No Sig," she said. "I need to try and find my way home. I don't suppose you've ever heard of a small town named Fallon? There's a Monastery of Pelor right beside it?"

Her three companions shook their heads.

"Never heard of it," Aeverin admitted. "And I've travelled extensively. But I guess it is time to break up this little group. I'd like to get back home myself. And the sooner we get out of this town and the Underdark, the less likely we'll be enslaved again."

The three left Kreet in her room then, each 25 gold richer, and with the monk taking the rest of the gold for the others, but not before Kreet asked Sigmundurr to ask the bartender up to her room.

As the door closed behind them, Kreet sighed and looked at the little bag of gold remaining. Still a bit much for a kobold to carry, but far easier than she wanted it to be. She was no longer rich. Now she was middle-class at best. And she had no idea how to get home. She looked at her belly.

"Is there anybody in there?" she asked it. "I'm not really ready for you, you know."

A knock came at the door. "It's me, Kallid!"

She cringed at the eagerness in his voice. "Come in Kallid."

His eyes were as bright as candles. He looked so cute, she felt bad having to dash his hopes, and briefly considered whether she might... just one more time...

But no, that would just make an untimely pregnancy even more likely. Instead she shook her head and patted the bed beside her. "Sit here, Kallid. Talking is needed," she said in kobold, knowing she couldn't speak it as well as a native.

The eyes dimmed a bit. He couldn't hide it, but he sat beside her.

"Kallid... last night. It was... mistake."

Kallid responded in the Common tongue, "Certainly. You don't know me. You just wanted to fuck."

"I did. But it was a mistake. I can't stay here. I have to go to my home, and my home is Outside."

"You live Outside?"

"I do, Kallid. I was born in a place Under, but now Outside is all I know. I want to return."

"I understand," Kallid said, putting his hand on hers. "But, what if..."

"That's the problem. Kallid, if I am pregnant, I will raise your children well. But I will raise them Outside."

Suddenly his eyes turned sad. "Outside? How can I see them if they are Outside?"

"I'll teach them. I'll tell them about you. They will come to visit."

"But... they won't know me. No. This must not happen. I will go Outside."

"Would you do that?"

"If... I will, if you have my children in you."

Kreet smiled, for the first time since she'd woken up.

"Kallid, you don't have to. I have gold. You don't need to change your life for me."

The bartender looked at her, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Not for you. For them!" he said, and touched her belly. Kreet had not been raised with a clan, and casual touching by others wasn't something she was used to, but she held his hand to her belly.

"You are a good kobold, Kallid," she said, suddenly realizing that this kobold was not just a bartender and a 'bold looking for somewhere to put his penis. He was a complete person, with a history and a morality every bit as valid as her own. Her story had intersected with his. She had offered him a way to let them separate again, but he was having none of it.

"Kallid, I... really don't remember much. I'm sorry to have interrupted your life so, for my own drunken pleasure."

He laughed - a short, barking sound. "Your pleasure was my pleasure, Kreet! You think I like working here? I do not. I don't know what life is Outside, but I will go with you, if you will have me."

She thought about that. It wouldn't be fair, of course. But she could use the company. And if she proved not to be pregnant, he could just return.

"Even if we don't do any more bumping?"

The kobold looked at her, his head cocked to one side. "No more bumping? Why not? You liked doing it with me last night."

"Because, silly, I don't want to be pregnant!"

"Oh," he said. "Oh... you don't want to have my babies."

"Well, Kallid, I only met you last night. Surely you understand..."

Kallid brightened up. "That's true. But if I come with you Outside, you will know me better! Maybe then you will...."

"Okay, that's fair enough. But, don't expect it, okay? I'm really not the kind of kobold you thought I was. I am a cleric of Pelor."

That caused a reaction, certainly.

"The lord of Light? A kobold? You are making a joke."

"No, Kallid. I'm not. I am a cleric of Pelor and I want to find my way back home. Are you still sure you want to come with me?"

He considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "My babies must be shown the foolishness of their mother's ways. I will come."

"Well then, you'd better make preparations. I leave tomorrow morning."

"Can I... sleep with you tonight?" he asked, eagerness in his eyes.

"Really? You want to sleep with me?"

His eyes began to glow again.

"Well, okay. But no bumping, right?"

"Sure Kreet! No bumping! Until you know me better... I mean... well, until you like me better?"

"That's more like it. And no promises. But... Yes. Until I like you better. Or I'm pregnant. Then, I guess I might as well!"

The door closed behind the little kobold, his eyes now glowing every bit as much as they had when he'd come in.

"Well that didn't go as I expected!", Kreet thought.

But she had to admit she felt better knowing she would have a companion at least. And, if she turned out to be pregnant, she would have the father with her. She could just start her own clan, after all. It's what she'd dreamed of, before him.

Brand. There were people she needed to find. It was home. She thought of Brand, and then Kallid.

"Oh Pelor," she said aloud as she flopped back onto her bed. "Pelor, help me. Guide me through this. I don't know what I'm doing!"


	2. Sigmundurr (Kreet 34)

Sigmundurr knocked on her door a little later. Kreet opened the door to let the big man in. His blue eyes looked unexpectedly sober.

"Gator," he began. "I've been thinking..."

"Always a plus," she smiled and beckoned him to sit on the bed. "I've been hoping to catch one of you anyway. I need some things for tomorrow."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, I need 6 amber bottles for one, the darker the better. Some sandpaper too. They'll have some at a blacksmith's shop if not here. Some tools too. Mostly a good small, sharp knife and a file or rasp. Glue too. And a good length of dark cloth. Cloth you can't see through."

Sigmundurr repeated the items back to her.

"I'll give you some more gold for this," Kreet assured him, but he shook his head.

"I don't need more gold, Gator. That's what I came up here for."

"What, are you rich or something?"

"No. I just don't need gold. Ever. Handy to have a bit around, but it ties you down. You may have noticed I'm not exactly... civilized."

Kreet laughed. "Sig, you are nearly the definition of chaos embodied."

"Gator, I'd like to go with you tomorrow."

She sat back in her chair at that. In many ways, he was the last person she would want to travel with them. She'd seen him go berserk at the least provocation. Murderously berserk. She didn't want to imagine how many people he'd killed.

"Sig... you know I couldn't stop you if you wanted to. But... Sig, I don't like you. I've already tried to fight you before. You are the opposite of everything I believe in."

"I know. But you need me anyway."

"I need somebody Sig. I don't think I need you. You're too much for me to handle. I was going to ask Dinkle. Besides, you're an adventurer. I don't plan on this being an adventure. I just want to find my home!"

"Dinkle? He couldn't fight off an orc!"

"I don't know. You saw him. He's resourceful. Plus he's a monk. Not exactly the same as a cleric like me, but he follows a moral compass, while you..."

"Chaos," the big man said.

"Yes. I can't control you. I don't want to have to try. I'm no leader, Sig. I'm not even backup. Until recently I was working at a tavern and the most excitement I'd have was a slap on the butt. I like it that way, Sig. I don't want... this," she said, indicating her surroundings.

Sigmundurr looked to be considering something.

"You can't stop me from coming with you, you said."

"Well, that's for sure! Unless you're bound and shackled, you pretty much go where you want."

"I'm coming with you," he smiled.

"Sig! No! Did you not hear anything I just said?! I don't want you to!"

Sigmundurr stood up and shrugged, smiling. "I don't care. I'm going with you. You need me, at least until we get out of the Underdark. After that... well, we'll see."

"But why? For Pelor's sake, why would you want to?"

Sigmundurr stepped to the door, holding it open before he left. "I like you, little kobold. That's enough reason for Sigmundurr. I don't like people often. I will be your leader. Till we're out anyway. I'll get your stuff. Oh, you can come back down now. The crowd has left."

He closed the door. This was definitely not going the way she'd envisioned at all. 

She looked up at the ceiling and pictured it in her mind. Beyond it was the roof, she supposed. A roof that had never seen rain. And above that, high above it, was the roof of the gigantic cavern that held the entire city she was in. Above that was probably miles of rock, dirt and who knows what else. Then above that was the great Outside as the residents here called it. Outside the Underdark, where light and darkness alternated. Where rain fell and wind blew and flowering plants grew. And above that was the sky. She was trained to think of that as the dwelling place of Pelor, though the presence of her own powers even here in the Underdark argued against his abode being in any specific place. Beyond that was the stars and moons. How far away they were, she couldn't fathom. Maybe this was Pelor's will after all. She might be a acolyte, but she knew as little as anyone how his mind worked. 

Or maybe this was the work of Nerull, the God of darkness. Presumably the god of Kallid. This was undoubtedly his domain. She'd read enough about her own kind, even if she hadn't grown up with them, to know that they worshipped and feared their god of darkness. She didn't fear Pelor. She loved him. "It!", she laughed to herself. She couldn't picture the God of Light with some gigantic penis, even if that's what all the monks she'd known had implied he must have. What would he even use it for? No, for her at least, Pelor wasn't a man or a woman. He wasn't a he. But "It" sounded too impersonal, and she did feel a personal connection with him. So she'd just keep calling Pelor "He" for sake of convenience. He could be a kobold for all she knew, or cared. He gave her strength, comfort and the meager powers she did possess.

As an acolyte, she felt like she was failing. As far as she knew, she'd not converted a single soul to Pelor. But her method was the method her Master had taught her - to lead them to Pelor by example, not by proselytizing. In the end, her Master had let her down when she learned of his true history, in the harshest of ways. But she still followed his methods. She knew no other way. She went on her knees. She knew instinctively that kneeling was in no way related to praying, but it did focus her mind. 

Then, something happened. Something like a white light washed over her. It had happened once before, and she knew what it was. She had been Raised. Somehow, with all her mistakes and foolish actions, Pelor had seen fit to raise her to the next level. She thanked him, but was too eager to find out what new powers she had gained. The knock on the door was annoying. But she rose anyway and opened the door. Sigmundurr was there with her supplies.

"Thanks Sig! Well, I've accepted you are coming whether I like it or not. I don't want too many people though, so it's just you, me and Kallid. Just leave those on the bed."

"That's a smart lizard," Sigmundurr laughed.

"Well, when a boulder comes crashing down the path at you, you don't try and stop it. You just try to stay out if its way," Kreet replied, not without humor.

"That's right!" Sigmundurr agreed and patted her head. It was an annoying thing he did, and botheringly patronizing. She'd gotten used to it. Being a kobold, it was pretty much a requirement. It didn't help that until recently she had played the part of 'stupid little naive kobold', and once someone's opinion of you has been set it's not an easy thing to change. She accepted it with good grace.

"Sig, if you're coming with us, would you mind terribly getting supplies together? Take some coin. I'm going to be busy here for quite a while."

"Sure Gator. 5 gold should do it."

"Thanks Sig. And Sig..." Kreet said as he turned around at the door.

"Yeah?"

"Look... I'm sorry about what I said before. It's not that I don't like you. It's just... you're YOU, you know?"

"Always have been. No problem Gator. I know I'm a bit much. But sometimes you need someone like me."

"And sometimes you don't! Try and control yourself, will you? For me?"

"No promises, Gator. I am who I am. But I'll try... a little," he said and closed the door behind him.

She sighed and turned to the supplies on her bed. It was getting late it was going to take a long time to make two good, functional sunglasses for her and Kallid. She picked up the empty bottles and the tools and began breaking glass carefully. She'd done this so many times over the years, she didn't so much as scratch herself. Working with unfamiliar tools was the only challenge, but it was a slow and intricate process anyway. Yet she had gotten good at it. She wondered idly while she worked if this craft making mindset was why kobolds were legendary for their trap making ability. Probably.

Finally she had finished and the night was getting late. She put away the debris, made her necessary oblations to Nature and Pelor, and crawled into bed. She didn't have to blow out any candle - she had been working in all but pitch darkness the entire time. A bell rang from the tavern room and she heard footsteps in the hallway open and close as voices passed by her door. She recognized some of them. 

Then a light knock came and she opened the door. Kallid stepped in and she took his hand, not saying anything. She closed the door quietly and locked it. Then she led him to her bed. True to his word, he didn't try to do anything too intimate or dangerous. But she did enjoy his attentions and returned them with attentions of her own. An hour later she fell to sleep in his embrace, his head under hers. She could come to like this, she realized. Yes, she could definitely get used to this.


	3. Departure (Kreet 35)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I'm so far behind in posting here! Well, the best way to remedy that is to just do it.

Technically they were still slaves of course. In the drow city they were in, all non-drow races were considered slaves. But fortunately the princess they had rescued had some standing with the powers there, and she sent along two drow guardians to see them through the long and perilous trek to Outside.

The two were relatively benign, at least by drow standards. They met Kreet, Kallid and Sigmundurr outside the tavern the next morning, not deigning to venture within the slave-infested common room.

"You three are to be escorted out of the Underdark," Urmelena said unceremoniously when they stepped out of the doorway, "by order of the Princess. She requests that you be allowed some time to gather any belongings required, and not be harmed on the journey. How long must we wait for you?"

Kreet could sense Sigmundurr's already growing anger, but she'd seen him hold it in check before when badly outnumbered. She gave him a glance that he returned with a squint.

"We're ready now. We will follow your lead."

"I am Urmelena. I will lead," she replied while indicating the other guard. That is Houndril. He will follow. You three will remain between."

"Are we allowed weapons?" Sigmundurr asked.

Urmelena laughed. "Are you a comedian, human? That was surely a joke, yes?"

Sigmundurr muttered something under his breath, but Kallid spoke up. "Um... he means when we get to the Outside. We'll need weapons Outside!"

Urmelena looked down at the kobold and snorted. "What on earth would you do with a weapon, kobold? You'd hurt yourself!" But then she looked back towards Sigmundurr. "When we get there, I'll provide you with something. Not until then."

Kreet nodded, more at Sigmundurr than at their 'escort', and then they began. Each of the three carried a backpack of provisions, as well as part of Kreet's remaining gold. The guards carried a small pack at their belt and canteens in addition to their spears and blades. With that, Urmelena began their journey through the streets of the underground city with Sigmundurr following her, the two kobolds behind and the silent Houndril close behind them.

"How far is it, did you say?" Kreet asked Kallid in their native language as they stumbled along to maintain pace with the larger people.

"I've never been myself, of course. But I understand it's about two days away, if we're going by the Stairway. Farther otherwise of course. You really don't know where you are, do you?"

"I was born in some caverns, but they didn't connect with the Underdark," she explained as they passed crowds of drow and the occasional slave train.

There were other slaves that weren't bound of course, but this was undoubtedly the domain of the drow.

Their leader turned her head back to look at the kobolds. "Talk now, small ones. Once outside the borders of this city, there will be no more talking. Understand?"

"Of course, my lord," Kallid said in deference.

The drow smiled at that and turned back, satisfied. 

"I am no Lord, but you may call me Lady, though I am not nobility. But, for our purposes, I will be your Lady until our journey is complete. If we are attacked, you will follow my orders. My command is to get you to the Outside alive, but accidents happen. Do not attempt to cross me."

Kreet looked up at Sigmundurr. He wasn't protesting, but did she see a flash of anger in his eyes? Probably. She just hoped he would hold it in till they could get out.

Though the pace was erratic for Kreet, who seemed to either be always walking too slowly or trotting too fast, she had gotten used to it in her days as a true slave before being freed from the manacles of the slave trains. She knew this was a life that many, if not most, kobolds were brought up to expect. Like Kallid, they didn't protest. It was expected. They were born servants and would die servants, or they would live the even shorter lives of the wild kobolds like her family had been.

It was a particularly insidious form of slavery, in that for the most part they were treated well. The drow could be stern taskmasters certainly, but were no more sadistic than other races towards their kobold slaves. For their part, the kobolds didn't exactly complain either. It was a rare kobold indeed that chose to escape from their masters since doing so also meant the loss of regular food, housing and the dangers of the Underdark which they understood all too well. Most kobolds would argue that it was a complementary relationship and totally natural that they should do the bidding of their obviously superior masters.

Even Kreet had to admit to an ingrained sense of inadequacy. She did have pride in her accomplishments, especially rising to the rank of Cleric, but that pride was made all the more important by the fact that she had risen above what anyone expected a small kobold might achieve. What _she_ expected she could achieve! But now, seeing her friend Kallid as the simpering slave to these mere guards made her realize her own inherent racism against her own kind, and she didn't like it. She couldn't blame Kallid - it was the only life he knew. She couldn't blame the drow for the same reason. But she could blame herself. She should know better by now. She had been treated, if not precisely as an equal, at least as a friend by other races. A kobold lacked the strength and the build that the drow and humans possessed, undoubtedly. But there were other things.

She held Kallid's hand and he smiled at her sincerely. She would teach him this. Eventually. But for now, they needed to follow these guards. They left the lights of the city behind them slowly, climbing a ramping pathway with a sheer drop to their right. Even her sight couldn't penetrate the darkness above them where they were presumably heading. Up and out. It had been a long time since she'd seen daylight and she wondered how Kallid would react to it.

He didn't seem nervous anyway. If only he would stop looking at her quite that way - like she was something more than he was. At most she might have been a foot taller, but still far shorter than Sig or the drow. She knew he appreciated her more human-like form, but it was likely more due to the varied and healthier diet she had been privileged to eat. She suspected that any kobold female might well carry breasts like hers - her added height too - if they had that privilege as well. As for her too-wide hips... Well, that seemed to be native to the females of kobold species regardless of diet. She'd gotten used to that. She was average in that department from what she'd seen of the other female kobolds she'd met, and that made her feel better. She had been around humans far too long.

But Kallid looked at her like some sort of goddess. At least he'd stuck up for himself and not agreed with everything she'd said before. She didn't want the father of her children to be nothing but a lap dog. So there was hope there. She couldn't see herself falling in love with someone that just worshiped her. It had its benefits,to be sure, but that would be a hard way to live the rest of your life. Still, she would do it anyway if she were pregnant. He wasn't a bad kobold, and he did have something in his face that appealed to her. She could imagine worse fates than to bring up a clutch with this little guy.

Finally they reached the top of the long incline and turned left into a wide tunnel where they stopped at a stream to rest. Sigmundurr whispered something to her, but she didn't catch what he said, but Urmelena stood up suddenly and struck him across the face.

"No talking, human. You are not in the city any longer."

Kreet stiffened, watching Sigmundurr rub his chin and eye the drow. She wasn't sure how much Sigmundurr could, or would, take of this. It was not his nature to accept such without complaint. His eyes were hard as he stood up slowly and stared back into the drow's face. For the first time, Kreet really looked at the two. Both drow and humans made her and Kallid look puny, but the drow could not compare with the mass of Sigmundurr. She'd seen him in action. An opponent might misjudge his mass for fat, but that opponent would be sorely mistaken. But Urmelena's eyes flashed at his defiance and she stood her ground, not changing her grip on her spear, but Kreet saw her muscles bunch.

Houndil stood up, if only to remind Sigmundurr of his presence. It was a tough position for a drow male, Kreet had come to understand.. The female was almost always the leader of any pair, and the male had to be careful that he didn't offend her by usurping her authority. Though he might be all too eager to help, she had better want his help or he would be punished for assuming she needed that help. Kreet wasn't surprised that he still hadn't said a word. That seemed to be the norm when a male drow was in the presence of a female superior.

Although he was larger than Urmelena, he was still too thin to be a proper threat to the big man. Only their spears and blades evened the odds. Yet it was enough apparently. Sigmundurr looked away and sat back down, and the moment had passed. Urmelena snorted and went back to eating, and Houndil sat back down behind them.

"Not yet," Kreet thought. "But the moment will come, if I know this man. And I'm not certain I know who will win. Worse, I'm not sure who I want to win."


	4. Threats (Kreet 36)

They continued through the Underdark's labyrinthine network of tunnels, hallways and crevices, and Kreet marveled not only at their guides' apparently unerring path-finding, but also at the sheer size of the complex. Once she had thought the cave system she had been born in was huge - her whole world in fact - but compared to the Underdark it was but a flyspeck.

Both the drow and the two kobolds, of course, could see in the utter darkness they traveled through, but Sigmundurr required light. This irked Urmelena who had to carry a staff of light ahead of them.

"Well dammit, why don't you just give it to me if it's such a pain in the ass?" Sigmundurr asked her after yet another of her complaints about it, but she just grumbled and continued on.

"Seriously. It amounts to a stick to me. Just let me carry it. If we run into another one of those spiders, you'll be free to dispatch it without it."

Urmelena halted the group and turned back to look at Sigmundurr.

"What do you think, Houndril?"

For the first time, the male drow spoke. "I would have his head before he could swing it," he assured Urmelena.

Kreet didn't fail to miss the smile that came over Sigmundurr's face at that. Nevertheless, Urmelena handed the staff of light to Sigmundurr who took it in good grace, even nodding to her as if in gratitude. Then they continued on, but he winked at Kreet, to which she shook her head ever so slightly as her eyes widened. But he just smiled and continued on following.

The spiders were an ever present menace in the Underdark. They came in all shapes and sizes as well as varying degrees of deadliness, but kobolds were naturally immune to most types' venom. Humans and drow were not, but at least the drow had experience in how to fight them. Some time earlier they had encountered a couple of the more aggressive wolf-spiders, but Urmelena had killed both without so much as a scratch.

The really big spiders, however, they would best avoid and it was for this reason that their leader had enforced silence since the spiders tended to be attracted to noises in the normal silence of the Underdark. Once she had spotted one of these, far away across an underground lake they had skirted. It's size was difficult to be sure of, but it appeared to be at least fifty feet from leg to leg. They'd never grown anywhere near that large in her old caverns, but then, there was no where there to contain such monstrous beasts, let alone provide enough food for them to maintain that sort of size.

But here in the Underdark life was surprisingly abundant. Mushrooms seemed to grow at every chance, along with lichen - both glowing and dormant - and other similar plant-life. The giant spider she'd seen appeared to be lying in wait for something under the surface of the lake, so underwater fish and worse were obviously plentiful as well. 

And, of course, spiders were only the most common of the threats in the Underdark. Fortunately the path they followed was well traveled and was kept clear of the worst of these by regular patrols of drow, some of whom they'd passed by already. But there was always the chance of encountering the less expected Underdark dwellers. Despite the confidence and obvious skill of their guides, there were still only two of them.

They came at last to one of the rope bridges that took the path over a deep crevasse. The bridge took the form of 3 thick ropes, tied to each other occasionally by smaller guide-ropes with the largest of the three acting as the bottom of the bridge and the other two as handrails.

Urmelena indicate they would cross one-at-a-time, to minimize swaying of the rope and the weight of more than one. While the rope bridge had obviously seen years of use which might indicate security after all this time, the fraying of the strands left Kreet with no doubt that the structure was not as solid as once it had been. And knowing the Drow, it would be left as-is until it broke, and an unlucky traveler at that point had better hope he held on tight.

Of course, Urmelena went first, carrying the light staff since it was obvious that Sigmundurr was not going to be able to navigate the bridge easily with it. He gave it up without a fight, and Kreet thought she detected a bit of fear in his face. She couldn't blame him. If the rope was going to break today, it was going to break under him most likely.

As she watched Urmelena step gracefully across, it occurred to her that the even in their arrogance, the drow were definitely elves. Their air of superiority wasn't only due to their own inflated egos. In many ways, they indeed were superior. The rope barely swayed as she stepped off and waved for Sigmundurr to begin.

For the first time, Kreet looked over the edge. She did not see the bottom, but it wasn't because it was too far away to see. It was because something massive blocked the view. It's eight eyes glistened but it was still and silent as death. She drew in her breath.

"Long way down?" Sigmundurr chuckled as he stepped out.

Kreet's eyes were wide but she put a finger to her mouth in the universal gesture.

Sigmunder tentatively stepped one foot in front of the other out over the bridge and it began to sway as the cords creaked under his weight. Kreet shot a look to Houndril. He obviously knew the monster was there too, but Sigmundurr had to rely on the light from the staff - now far away on the other side of the bridge. To him, the spider underneath him was effectively invisible, no matter how much he tried to see it.

He stopped, waiting for the bridge to stop swaying, then took another two steps. Naturally the bridge started swaying again. Kreet could see the tendons on his arms bunch as he held tightly to the hand-ropes. And then he overbalanced.

Things happened in rapid succession then. One foot lost its grip on the base rope, and suddenly the base was no longer under his center of mass. He kept the other foot on the base rope for a moment, but now all his weight was on the right hand-line. It was too much for the old rope and it snapped at the near end beside Kreet.

It did not drop away however, due to the guide lines between the hand rope and the base. However, it shifted under Sigmundurr's weight at least four feet and was now hanging under the base rope with Sigmundurr holding on for dear life onto the broken handrail. Amazingly, the guidelines held even under his weight. They formed a sort of ladder that Sig could still use to climb back onto the base rope - if the both the hand rope and the guide ropes held.

Kreet saw he was struggling. He was amazingly strong, but the break was too unexpected. Still, at least he had not actually fallen. She looked at Urmelena. She stood passively watching the man's struggling. She looked to Houndril.

"Help him!" she cried.

The drow snorted contempt. "If he is worthy of life, he will help himself. If not..."

She looked back down the pit. The huge thing no longer remained motionless. It was approaching, and the distance had belied its size. It was tremendous. Larger than anything living had a right to be. It stopped short of actually coming into full view and attacking Sigmundurr, who was oblivious to what was happening underneath him. He had managed to get his legs wrapped around the broken end of the hand rope and was shimmying up the rope. It was obviously a lot of effort, but he was managing it. It looked like he would make it.

Till the long front leg of the spider tapped him gently on one leg.

"The FUCK?!" Sigmundurr screamed at both the shock of the touch and the weird, incredible leg that rose from the darkness below.

Though the spider's leg did end in a wicked sharp claw, it wasn't using it to try and spear him. It looked to be simply toying with him. It tapped his leg again, rather gently, but that set him to swinging. He could no longer do anything but hold on.

Then it tapped him again. Gently, but just as the arc of his swing had begun in that direction. It was intentionally swinging him. The centripetal force as the arc of his swing grew larger would certainly pry him loose of his grip soon. And the spider tapped him again. It knew exactly what it was doing.

Kreet couldn't stand idle any longer.

"Kallid!"

Her mate was watching in horrified fascination, but he looked up at her.

"Kallid, look away and close your eyes. Close them as much as you can. I'm about to do something."

" _GODDAMMIT! HELP!_ " Sigmundurr was screaming at Urmelena, but she stood impassively watching.

No, Kreet realized as she looked closer. Not impassive. She was _smiling_!

Kreet wasted no more time with warning. She held her hands in front of her and took aim at the eight eyes watching Sigmundurr who was swinging nearly perpendicularly now. She would not kill it, she knew, but she would blind it. And probably two others that she hadn't warned. She closed her eyes tightly and cast Guiding Bolt at the thing.

The power that leaped from her outstretched hands had increased measurably with her level increase. Though even behind her lids her eyes ached with the light that still got through, the feeling of the power of Pelor flowing through her made her weep with joy. She was no powerless little kobold. She could still DO things.

Over the screaming from the two drow, Kreet heard the alien screech of the spider die away as something huge and heavy fell to a rumbling thump far below. She hoped Sigmundurr had managed to hold on. When she opened her eyes, she was - though not exactly blind - unable to see directly in front of her. But she heard Kallid moving.

The bright halo in her eyes quickly disappeared and she ignored the shouting and cursing of the drow. Kallid was out on the bridge now, pulling a guide rope up as best he could, his tail and legs wrapped around the base rope.

In a minute, Sigmundurr was back on the base rope and the two finished the crossing to the other side. Kreet scrambled across then, not having any particular fear of heights, but a fear of the thing below was certainly present.

When she got to the other side, Sigmundurr was sitting atop Urmelena, her sword in hand.

"Hi Kreet!" he said happily. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Kreet looked at the drow, no longer screaming but uttering curse after curse at the man who sat on her back. Kreet nodded.

"Thought so. Thanks! I'd be spider-chow it if not for you. And Kallid. Appreciate it little guy, and I'll not forget it. No thanks to these assholes though..."

He stood up but kept the point of the sword on the small of Urmelena's back. She was still obviously blind, as was Houndril who was still on the far side of the bridge, unable to cross.

"So... thought you'd feed your little pet did you?" Sigmundurr said menacingly. Kreet didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Sorry, afraid your 'Little Furry Legs' is going to have to go without Sigmundurr meat today," he continued, and with horror Kreet realized he was loosening his belt.

"But _you_ , on the other hand... I think you're in dire need of some Sigmundurr meat!"

"Sig," Kreet said quietly.

"Kreet! She was gonna fucking let that thing eat me!"

"Sig," Kreet repeated and the big man turned back to her.

"Put your pants back on Sig," Kreet commanded, her hands outstretched in preparation for another Guiding Bolt, and pointing at his head. He would not survive a direct Bolt from this distance and she was fully prepared to wield it.


	5. Devotion (Kreet 37)

Sigmundurr grumbled, but did as she demanded.

"Thank you Sigmundurr," Kreet said, lowering her hands.

"Fucking bitch deserved..." Sigmundurr began, but Kreet interrupted him.

Until this time, she had revealed little of her true powers to anyone since she had arrived in the Underdark. She had told only Kallid it's source, but circumstances had required it.

"Sig, your Creator gave you a gift of manhood, but you have badly misused that gift. I cannot change your ways. Only you can do that. But I can guide you if you want me to."

"You sound like some damned..." Sigmundurr began.

"I am a Cleric, Sig. I am a Cleric of Pelor, and not an insubstantial one at that. But we don't coerce, we only offer guidance."

"Figures. Fucking clerics."

"Yes Sigmundurr. I'm a fucking cleric. I told you that already. If we're going to continue traveling together, you'd best get used to it. I don't like you Sig. You're a force of chaos, but I don't think you're evil. Just... unrestrained. You could be a good person, if ever you could learn self-restraint."

Sigmundurr looked down at the little kobold. "Restraint? I haven't cut your damned scaly head off yet! That's restraint!"

Kreet nodded. "Yes. It's a start. But now I'm going to ask more of you. I want you to give Urmelena her sword back.

"The fuck you say! Not gonna happen little lizard."

"Sig, how do you think we're going to find our way out of the Underdark without her?"

The big man looked across the bridge.

"You think he's going to help if you rape her or kill her? Really?"

Meanwhile, Urmelena had stopped talking, but was obviously listening intently. Kreet didn't like the expression on her face, but this rift had to be mended somehow. She continued.

"Sig, you know the drow. You know how they are. Did you really expect her to help you? You are what you are, and they are what they are. That's not going to change today. But we need their help."

"She'll stab us in the back, or have Houndril do it, at the first chance."

"I don't think so," Kreet said, then looked to the dark elf. "Urmelena, what will you do if Sig gives you his sword back right now?" Kreet asked the still-prone drow.

The dark elf's face turned contrite. "I'll lead you on to the stairway of course."

"That is a lie. I'll ask you again, and you will tell the truth. Either that or we'll try and find our way on our own and we'll leave you both here, blind in the dark."

Urmelena rolled over suddenly, disregarding the point of her own sword. Fortunately Sigmundurr allowed it. The rage returned to her face and she spat the words out.

"I'll kill this overgrown _man_ and drop his body down the crevasse, and if you think you can stop me, you'll soon meet your damned Pelor in the next life and ask him!"

"Pretty brave talk for a blind person, don't you think? I've been blinded by that light-blast before. You'll recover your sight in time, but not soon. And your mate over there isn't going to be able to help if a spider or worse attacks you. At this point, you can still complete your mission and keep your lives, if you want to. You need to decide that. Right this moment."

The drow was not stupid. She considered Kreet's words.

"I'll do nothing," she said finally.

"That's right. We'll put this bridge behind us and continue to the stairway. You will accomplish your mission and live. You mentioned giving Sigmundurr a weapon before. Do you have another with you?"

"Houndril has another sword," she replied.

"Good. Sig, you'll have that. Against two blind drow. Think you can take them if you need to?"

Sigmundurr smiled again and nodded.

"Alright. Now. How are we going to get Houndril across this bridge?"

Kallid spoke up then. Kreet had almost forgotten about him, but his eyes were glowing bright blue as they looked at her.

"Oh great," she thought. "I've got my first devotee."

"I can help him over!" he said with reverence in his voice. "Kreet, I can help!"

"Kallid..." she began, but at the sound of her uttering his name the blue glowed even fiercer. She gave it up. She'd have to worry about him later.

"Go on Kallid. We'll wait here. Be careful. That spider is still down there."

He laughed but scampered back across the bridge. "But you blinded it!"

She called back as he got to Houndril and helped the drow to the edge of the bridge. "Maybe! Just be careful!"

It took the two a minute to get back across the bridge, but even blind the drow proved his elven grace and had only a moment or two of imbalance, even across the broken bridge.

Sigmundurr had still not returned Urmelena's sword, but at Kreet's 'suggestion' the drow commanded Houndril to give Sigmundurr his spare sword.

"Satisfied?" Kreet asked the human.

Sigmundurr drew blood from his thumb testing the edge. He smiled evilly. "Satisfied."

"Okay. Now, here's how we'll do this. I know you know this path well, Urmelena. You and Houndril will lead. Kallid, you stay with them and describe the path ahead. I think you'll be able to manage like that. Sig and I will follow."

"What about spiders?" Kallid asked.

"We'll just have to do the best we can."

"Little kobold," Urmalena said, turning to Kallid, "if we are attacked, you must stay away from Houndril and I. We have methods of attacking as a team, even blind. But we won't know where you are."

Kreet said nothing, but realized that was a good sign. At least they didn't blame Kallid for the recent events. No doubt they hated Sigmundurr now only a little more than herself as a cleric of their enemy Pelor, but they didn't want to kill Kallid anyway. If she could just keep the fuse unlit on this powder-keg, maybe they would still all survive after all.

There was another spider attack - three wolf-spiders this time. But now that Kreet had revealed her powers and could assist, they dealt with them quickly. Sigmundurr did receive a venomous bite, but Kreet took care of that.

Then they encountered a patrol of drow coming the other way. This was a situation she wasn't sure how to handle. They were taking a break when a group of five drow approached from the other side, armed to the teeth and none too happy to see the human slave sporting a sword. Kreet shot a look at Urmelena as they approached.

"Urmalena," Kreet whispered as they approached. "There is a patrol coming. You can reveal us, obviously."

"Are you threatening me, kobold of Pelor?!"

"No. But if we come to any harm, I do promise that I will make sure that your mate Houndril is permanently blinded. I can do that."

"He is not my mate."

Kreet found an all-too human word suddenly very appropriate. "Bullshit."

"I may be a cleric, but I am also female. His mistress, you are, but you also care about him. It is obvious in your every move around him. If you do not, I can't stop you from turning us over to this patrol. But if I'm right, I think you can get them to pass on."

Urmelena smiled as the patrol came close. Though Kreet was taking a gamble, it was the only thing she could think of. The leader stepping up to Urmelena while Kreet backed off and went to stand in front of Sigmundurr. She prayed a brief prayer while she held Sigmundurr's sword down. The two drow spoke in hushed tones and Kreet couldn't tell what was being said.

She had a moment of panic when the patrol leader looked back to Sigmundurr and she felt his sword shift as his grip on it firmed.

But then the patrol continued on. She didn't relax her hold on the sword blade till the last of them had disappeared out of sight.

They reformed and began to continue on.

"What did you tell them?" Kreet asked.

"I told them we were blinded by a flash-pod and that the human killed some wolf-spiders after that. They'll find the spiders soon enough if they didn't believe me anyway. You're safe. From them."

Kreet realized something then. She lowered her tone so Sigmundurr couldn't hear her.

"You're not going to let us out, are you?"

Urmelena made a derisive noise then. "We will take you to the staircase. That was our command. What happens then... well, that's up to the fates."

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind? I don't want to fight you, Urmelena."

"Do you really think I would let a devotee of Pelor live, little kobold? No. You will not survive this trip. You chose your god poorly. But you will reach the staircase safely. That much I can promise. And your little mate will live. I too see much, Cleric. Find comfort in that. Until then, I suggest you pray to your god. You will meet him soon enough."

"And Sigmundurr?"

The dark elf's blind eyes wrinkled in anticipated joy. "He will live. But he will not remain a man."

Kreet fell back as they continued up the path. But she was considering another path. She prayed, fervently and with a purpose. This trip was not going to end without bloodshed. Her fate and that of Sigmundurr, as well as their drow guides, were up to powers beyond her. But as she saw the little kobold's bright blue eyes turn back towards her, she hoped he wouldn't be hurt. She wasn't sure she loved him - certainly not like he did her - but she did care for him. He would try to help, and probably end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.


	6. Betrayal (Kreet 38)

To say Kreet was troubled as the small band continued towards the stairway would be an understatement. She considered telling Sigmundurr that they were walking into a trap, but that would certainly set him off into berserker mode. But to not warn him... wasn't that tantamount to being an accomplice? To top it off, she was none too sure how much power she had remaining. Probably enough for another bolt, but more than that was unlikely.

During another break, she sat next to Sigmundurr.

"Sig..." she started hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Sig... be watchful, okay? I don't know what's waiting for us at the stairway, but I don't feel good about it."

"I know what you mean. Those two have been too accommodating. They've got something up their sleeves."

"I think you're right. But I've no idea what."

"Me neither. Well, I've still got this sword, and you've got your god-stuff. Plus they're blinded. I can't see how they can do much."

Kreet put her hand on the big man's knee. "Sig. What I said back there..."

Sigmundurr looked at the little scrawny, scaly hand and smiled. "You don't have to like me, Kreet. I like you. And your runt boyfriend."

"Hey. I can hear you, you know!" Kallid said, sitting on the other side of the human.

"Well. Anyway, you're okay... when you're being reasonable. But whatever we're in for, it might be that there's a time for unreasonableness. Chaos too has a place in the order of things."

Sigmundurr rubbed her head with his huge hands. "That it does, lizard. Come on. I expect we're getting close now. Let's get this over with, whatever 'it' is. But Kreet..."

"Hmm?"

"If things go bad, I'm taking that damn Urmelena's head off first thing."

Kreet looked over to where the two drow were.

"I'll be sure to stay out of the way."

With that, they resumed their trek. Hours had passed before finally they saw light ahead. It wasn't the steady shine of daylight - but the flickering light of torches. Still, after all the time they had spent under the feeble light of the staff, it seemed unusually bright. The path had grown wide as they approached a large space ahead.

"The stairway?" Kreet asked Urmelena.

"Yes, kobold of Pelor. Ahead is the Stairway of Eilistraee."

The name rang a bell. Some goddess of the drow if she remembered right from her training at the monastery. She couldn't remember anything more though.

They rounded the corner and looked up. Indeed it was a stairway, perhaps a hundred steps and at least as many feet across. At the top of the stairs were two huge gates, bolted shut by a similarly-sized bolt of iron which was fitted to an intricate network of ropes and pulleys. The carvings in the walls and on the doorway depicted a throng of dark elves, climbing a stairway - presumably this very one - out of the Underdark and into lands above. And, over all, was a figure all in ebony, naked but wreathed in silver hair, guiding the drow forth.

It filled Kreet with awe, and obviously did so for Kallid and even Sigmundurr.

"Wow," he said. But what he lacked in eloquence, he made up for in sincerity.

"Yeah," Kreet had to agree. "Wow."

"They're gone!" Kallid said suddenly, looking away from the scene.

"What? Who?"

"Urmelena and Houndril!"

Kreet looked around suddenly, not understanding. They were just here a second ago. Weren't they?

And then the drow patrol entered from behind them. Urmelena and Houndril were with them.

The three ran towards the other side of the stairway, where another contingent of guards emerged. Presumably guards stationed to protect the stairway. Kreet noticed they were dressed somewhat differently than those in the patrol with Urmelena and Houndril, the two obviously _not_ blind. They had probably been faking it for hours.

"Kreet," Urmelena said. "You said you didn't want to fight me. You don't have to. You only have to die. I've given you my word as to the other two.

Kreet looked desperately at Sigmundurr whose face already bore the grimace she had seen before just before he'd gone full berserker. He was impressive in battle, but he couldn't defeat all these. Would life as a eunuch slave be worse than death for him?

She looked to the obvious exit above them, but Urmelena anticipated that.

"You can try, kobold of Pelor. Good luck with that. You don't even have to open the big gate - there's an entry door on the right hand gate. But it's locked, and you won't be able to open it.

Kreet looked at Sigmundurr, who shrugged. "Worth a shot!"

Suddenly they began racing up the stairs. The drow did not give chase, exactly. They just formed ranks and began climbing the stairs to follow. They obviously had no worries about their quarry escaping.

At the top of the stairs, the doorway through the gate was obvious, but it was firmly locked. Sigmundurr bashed it with his sword, both the large iron lock and the door itself, but other than some scratching, it was no use. The armored drow were nearing the top of the stairs.

"Got any cleric magic for this situation?" Sigmundurr asked her, his eyes betraying desperation.

She shook her head. "Sorry Sig. I don't have any ideas."

"Well I've got one anyway!"

He turned to face the drow. At least twelve, Kreet thought. No way. He'd kill some. Urmelena certainly. But he would succumb at last. Then she looked at Kallid. His eyes had gone blood-red and he was salivating. He would do no good at all. He would be killed as an afterthought. She saw no solution. She pulled something small and black from her inventory.

"Do you promise?" she said loudly.

Sigmundurr turned to her, but she wasn't looking at him. Nor was she looking at Kallid. She was looking at Urmelena.

"I promise to you, kobold of Pelor. It will be as I have said."

Kreet turned to Sigmundurr. "I'm sorry Sig. I don't see any better way."

"Kreet!" he screamed as she raised her hands to him. "No!"

The sleep spell wasn't guaranteed to work. She'd not cast it in years. But it came back to her when she needed it, and luck was with her. Sigmundurr crumbled to the ground at her feet.

Kreet took Kallid's hand. The blood rage in his eyes burned even hotter. He would not allow this either. She cast the spell again, and he fell as well.

"You are wise, kobold of Pelor. In different circumstances..." Urmelena said as she stepped up to Kreet.

Kreet's eyes burned. She had betrayed her friends. Sigmundurr would curse her all the days of his life as a slave. Kallid... oh, he would probably still worship her memory. As for her - she might or might not have been pregnant. The signs wouldn't show yet. But that wasn't going to happen now anyway.

"Just do it," Kreet said, and she knelt at Urmelena's feet, her head extended and neck exposed. 

She looked at the jewel in her palm. A jewel invisible to anyone but her apparently. She didn't know what it was or how it worked, but it had whisked her away in a previous life. Maybe it would do so now? Hope was something kobolds should not have, but she couldn't help it.


	7. Eilistraee (Kreet 39)

Suddenly everything went dark and Kreet thought she had died, but an instant later she heard shouting from the drow. Thinking quickly, she rolled away and scrambled to her feet, backing away to where she recalled the nearest wall was. 

Darkness. She should be able to see, but she saw nothing. The drow could not see either apparently. She heard the voice of Urmelena call her name in anger, but she dared not respond. Then the gates began to open, impossibly. A voice came from nearby, demanding the gate be closed, but another voice swore it was still bolted - yet it continued to open. She saw the line of the opening widening against a starlit background, but something was blocking most of the sky. Then all the drow went silent and she saw it clearly. She saw her.

Silhouetted against the starlight was the outline of a woman, wreathed in silver hair, impossibly huge and... floating. She was moving. Undulating. Dancing. And then Kreet heard her voice. The language was both foreign yet still completely understandable. Kreet suddenly realized who this must be. She had seen her carved in the ceiling of the cavern. This could be none other than the goddess Eilistraee herself. Kreet prostrated herself on the floor and listened to the song of the goddess. She had never imagined such a song.

She was never able to properly interpret the song afterwards. She tried, but felt her words simply couldn't convey the depth of emotion. Eilistraee sang of her people, the drow, doomed to live in the Underdark for eternity. The constant strife, both within the drow community and with those who lived in the light outside. The drow were meant for better than this.

She heard some of the drow weeping, knowing their failing and their miserable fate, and taking the blame on themselves for causing this beautiful goddess, who loved them dearly, such pain and misery. Then she heard her name.

"Kreet," the goddess said, and she had never wished to be hidden from view more than at that moment, but she realized that she could not hide from a goddess.

"Kreet. Raise your eyes. Do you know who I am?"

Kreet looked up at the impossible beauty of the silver-haired being that seemed to have shrunk to the size of a normal drow, and yet had become even more godlike than before. The dark dancer glowed with something that was not light and her eyes were white orbs within that perfect ebony face.

Kreet forced the name from her too-crude throat, "Eilistraee".

"Yes Kreet. That is my name. Stand. I am here for you. I have heard of you, Kreet."

"Me?" Kreet said, standing only because she was asked to do so. The goddess approached her as if walking, but Kreet knew her feet did not touch the cold hard rock.

"Do you know of me, little kobold? Do you know my desire? Do you know my fundamental wish? I wish for my kind to leave these infernal caverns, kobold. They are my children, but they become more perverted below every day. They war, they intrigue, they scheme. But it was not always so. Once they were kind and loving creatures. It is this place that has done this to them. Someday I hope to take them away from this and return to the surface world that is their birthright. They are meant to walk the earth at night, as others walk it by daylight..."

She began to sing again, and Kreet thought to look back at the drow who had gone silent. The starlight provided plenty of light now, not to mention the glow from the goddess' eyes and hair. They were all sitting, watching their goddess as if in a trance. She saw Urmelena and Houndril among them, as rapt as the others.

"These," the goddess continued, "will not see that day. They are too warped and twisted. But I will not rest until that day comes. I sing for them, and for some few I provide aid, much as your Pelor has done for you."

"I hope your wish will come true, beautiful goddess of darkness," Kreet said honestly. "But what can a mere kobold do for you?"

"You already have done a great deal for me, Kreet. You were a dweller of the dark, as are they. But you rose from that station. You left your caverns and became known to the daylight. You have proven that those who live underground can uplift themselves and return to the surface. Others have managed it for a brief time, but you... you are home Outside."

"I am, it is true. I am seeking my home."

The goddess smiled then and stepped even closer. Kreet was suddenly torn between an intense desire to wrap her arms around this image of female perfection - to pull her to herself in an eternal embrace, and a desire every bit as intense to run away from this being that was as different from her as she was from a beetle. And yet she knew that if she touched the goddess, her soul would be lost, forever a part of the goddess herself. Instead, she did neither, but she trembled with a kind of fear. Not fear of danger or of impending disaster, but fear of being overwhelmed by something she could never understand. A source of Power, similar to that she felt from Pelor, yet distinct - as if a different color on the spectrum.

"Kreet. Your home lies within you. Wherever you go, you are home."

Kreet looked up. "But... there are those I love. I want to see them again."

The goddess' pupil-less eyes turned sad. "It is a thing I cannot experience, little kobold. I do not understand loss as you do. It is so easy to forget that. Love, though, that is something I understand well. You will love again, Kreet. Be assured of that. But there will also be loss. Until you all meet again in the next world."

Then suddenly the goddess shifted in some fundamental way. She still stood before the kobold, but somehow she seemed less. She diminished. Somehow the awe that had caused Kreet to tremble was gone, though the goddess still stood before her, still as beautiful and dark as ever. But Kreet noticed that her feet now touched the ground and her blue eyes were no longer pupil-less.

"Now, Kreet. We have business to attend to. Drow. Rise!" she commanded.

The drow got to their feet, still silent, but eyes wide.

Then the goddess touched Kreet's hand and the kobold nearly lost what little composure she had managed.

"Stand strong, little kobold. This is just my avatar. You may treat me as a mortal now. But it is your wish to leave the Underdark, or so I am given to understand."

"Yes Goddess! We..."

"We? I wasn't aware there were others."

"Oh yes! I have two companions. Please, I must take them with me!"

"Companions? They cannot be drow. Who are they?"

Kreet turned. She saw both Sigmundurr and Kallid still sleeping where she had left them. She motioned to them.

Eilistraee turned and walked over to the two. Kreet noticed that the goddess' hair continued to flow around her as if in complete disregard of gravity, wind or any other earthly power. Avatar or no, no one was going to mistake this person for a mere mortal, even if that flowing hair alternatively covered and revealed a body that even the most graceful elf would be jealous of. As a kobold, she was simply ashamed.

"A kobold," the goddess said as she knelt beside Kallid. "Oh! Your mate? I didn't know you had a mate, Kreet!"

"I... well... I guess I do now."

"Would you like to marry him?" the Avatar laughed. It was an unexpected sound, but somehow comforting. It made her seem more mortal. "You can't get a better minister than I!"

"It's... complicated. We... Well, I may be pregnant by him."

"Oh! Really?" the Avatar said, a delighted look on her face. She turned back to Kreet and knelt down, putting her ear to Kreet's abdomen.

Kreet was dumbstruck, but giggled a little when the goddess moved her head around as if listening at various places.

"Um... Eilistraee... It was just a couple of days ago."

The goddess stood, a sad look on her face. "That doesn't matter. I'd hear your children's souls anyway. But I'm afraid there's nothing. Sorry Kreet. You're not pregnant."

Kreet sat down on the hard ground. This was all a bit much. She wasn't sure if she was happy or sad, but she knew the goddess was not guessing. She _knew_. Kreet was not pregnant.

"Shall I wake him?" Eilistraee asked, and suddenly Kreet realized how important that question was. How very, _very_ important.

She was not pregnant. Kallid had no need to come further with her. He could return to his life here in the Underdark and go back to normal. She could leave without him, and he would not follow. She could just leave him to sleep. Even Urmelena was no threat to Kallid. Then why didn't she already tell the goddess to leave him to sleep? What reason was there otherwise?

She looked at the goddess. The pale blue eyes looked back at her, patient as death. Patient as life.

"Kreet. You know the answer to the question. You just don't want to voice it."

"It's not an easy question," Kreet whined.

"It's very easy Kreet. You already know the answer. And you already know why."

"I am selfish. But maybe... Wake him."

The goddess smiled. "Right answer. But about this human...."

"I can't leave him here, Eilistraee. They'll castrate him and enslave him for life."

"Yes, they will. But I have a feeling that may not be an undeserved fate for this man. He has the blood of many on his hands, and many were not deserved."

"I think he can be... changed."

"You might be overestimating your abilities, kobold. He likes you, granted, but it is not easy to change a person's nature. His nature is wild. In many ways he resembles an animal - but worse, as he has the cunning of a human. I do not think he will hurt you or your mate, Kreet, but he will cause you grief. Of that I can assure you."

"Do you know the future, goddess?"

"If I want to, I do. But you should not know the future. It is too much for mortals. Right now, I am clouding the future to myself so I don't reveal more than is good for you. Your life will change because of your decisions right here, right now. This man will cause you grief. The kobold... He is a good person."

"Wake the human too. Grief or no, I will not subject him to a life of eunuch slavery just to ease my own life. I take responsibility for him."

"NO!" the goddess roared suddenly and it felt as if the walls of the Underdark itself shook.

"No," she said again, returning to a mortal tone. "You are not responsible for him or anyone else, Cleric of Pelor. You are responsible only for yourself and your actions. Do not wish to take more than that. It is far, far enough."


	8. Spellbound (Kreet 40)

Eilistraee passed her hand over the two and both awoke instantly.

"Goddammit Gator!" Sigmundurr started, then he saw Eilistraee and his eyes went wide. "Oh fuck."

Kallid just stared at the goddess.

"Sig, Kallid, this is Eilistraee. She is..."

But Eilistraee finished for her, "I am glad to meet you both. My name is Eilistraee."

"Eilistraee!" Kallid said with reverence. "You are the drow goddess!"

"I am, Kallid. But rise. You needn't fear me. I'll do you no harm."

"She saved us all," Kreet explained.

Sigmundurr turned around and saw the drow standing transfixed by the goddess. He raised his sword from the ground. "No thanks to you, you stupid kobold! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"They wouldn't have killed you, Sig."

"I know what they would have done to me, Gator. Next time, would you mind letting me make my own fucking decisions? You've got no right!"

"Sorry, Sig. I... It was all I could think of!"

"Well that bitch isn't getting away scot-free anyway," Sigmundurr declared and advanced on where the drow stood, immobile.

"Hold, human. You will not harm any of my people. It was not my wish to rouse you, in fact. You may thank your friend here for that."

Sigmundurr stopped in his tracks, as if he had just recalled who he was in the presence of.

"Now, Kreet, take your friends Outside. I wish to stay and speak with my people for a time. You will not be followed."

The three stepped across the gate threshold and into the grassy path beyond. But Sigmundurr stopped and turned back once they'd cleared the gates as they slowly began to close.

Kreet and Kallid stopped alongside him.

"That is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Sigmundurr said frankly, an odd note of wistfulness in his voice.

"It's not every day you see a goddess," Kallid agreed, then added. "Say, Kreet - you're a cleric. Have you ever actually seen Pelor?"

She shook her head. "They say his true form is just pure white light. There is some sort of hierarchy among the gods I understand, though I've never been quite clear on how it works. Eilistraee is a lesser goddess, but still a considerable one, especially among the drow. Few drow actually worship her, but none would gainsay a manifestation like that regardless! She is a force of good, which is rare among the drow gods."

"A man could lose himself to her," Sigmundur said as the gates boomed closed.

They turned around and continued down the path. There was no way of knowing where they were, what time it was, or where the path was leading - but the night was cool, the stars were bright, and no one felt like sleeping. The fireflies flickered, echoing the starlight in yellow green spots across the path.

"Funny," Kreet said, breaking the silence. "I thought you'd have some sort of lewd comment, Sig. Reverence isn't like you normally."

"She is no normal woman. Even I can see that."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd swear you had a bit of the romantic in you."

"Hey, I may be crude, but only the blind wouldn't recognize beauty. What about you, Kallid? You wanna bang a goddess?"

The kobold sputtered, "Wha? You're joking. A kobold doesn't aspire to such heights. That gets you dead, real quick! No, I'm happy with my own little goddess." He took Kreet's hand and she didn't protest.

"You're probably right, Kal," Sigmundurr agreed and hefted his sword over his shoulder. "Ultimate female beauty though... well, in drow form anyway. That's something beyond lusting for. Even for me."

A voice spoke softly behind them. "Not ultimate, human. But thank you. For you, that's pretty high praise!"

"Eilistraee?" all three cried in unison as they spun to see the avatar of the goddess walking with them.

"You don't mind if I travel with you for a while, do you? The night is inviting and, who knows? You might have use of me still."

"You're coming with us!?" Kreet asked.

"For a time. I'm afraid I can only be with you at night. Sort of my 'thing'. But, if you don't mind... I've not spent enough time with mortals recently."

"We would be honored," Sigmundurr said, making a valiant attempt at a bow. Kallid attempted to mimic him as well. Kreet managed to stifle a chuckle at least.

"Well thank you, Sigmundurr," she said, and kissed his beard.

"Urpf" was what he said, as best can be described, and she laughed at that.

"Oh, lighten up you three. As an avatar, I'm as close to being one of you as I can be. I get a little tired of the grovelling and worshiping sometimes. Can't I just be one of you for a while?"

"It's not easy," Kreet said. "But we'll try, won't we guys?"

"I'll try!" Kallid said, about as happy has Kreet had ever seen him.

"You might catch me staring sometimes," Sigmundurr confessed. "I can only barely manage not to do so now."

The goddess shrugged. "You think I manifest like this just to be ignored? Stare away. That's the idea! Just try not to run into any trees."

"Well, if you're going to be traveling with us, maybe you can tell us where this path leads? Or even where Kreet's home is?"

"I could," she said. "But where's the fun in that? Sorry Kreet, but I'm not going to be able to help very much to get you home. Well, not to direct you anyway. The fates will have to smile on you for that. Your patron asked me to help you out of the Underdark. This is my price for that intervention. I want to walk with you for a while."

"My patron?" Kreet asked, confused.

"Oh, you know. Big white guy? Kinda bright?"

They all laughed at that. It felt weird to laugh with a goddess, but good nevertheless.

"The drow built my gate a long distance from the nearest human town. We won't reach it till the day after tomorrow, and it's a very small village. But it will be a safe trip. Once there, you can ask around to get your bearings. I suspect Sigmundurr will recognize the names and the area, even if you and Kallid do not."

"I hope so. I've been in the Underdark so long I've no idea how far I am from where I entered it," Sigmundurr said. "That must have been a month ago at least!"

"Well, if you can't tell us where we're going, at least do you know what time it is? I feel like I should be getting sleepy by now, but I'm not for some reason. How long before daybreak? Kallid's not going to like that much. Oh, Kallid! I forgot to ask! Have you ever been Outside before?" Kreet asked, turning back to her friend.

The little kobold nodded, "Oh yes. Many times. But just for a little bit. My old master used to go out hunting. Never during the day of course. But you said you had something for that, right?"

Kreet dug out her improvised sunglasses. "I have these. But they won't help much. Not until you get used to the light. But we'll travel by night mostly, so you'll have time to get used to it."

"Where will we stay during the day?"

"Well, once we reach a village, we'll stay in an inn I hope. Sigmundurr, you still have my gold, right?"

"Yup. Right here."

"You have a good plan, Kreet," Eilistraee said. "As for daybreak, the night is young. We've got hours yet. And there's a cave you can spend the day in. Don't worry, it's not part of the Underdark. But it will help Kallid, and will keep you out of trouble while I'm away. As for the sleep, I'm keeping that away now. You'll sleep all day in the cave, but I'll be sure nothing disturbs you. But the night... Ah... Isn't it glorious?"

Kreet pulled Kallid to her as they looked up at the stars.

"It is," Kallid said, but Kreet noticed he wasn't looking at them. He was looking at her, his eyes as blue as ever.

Sigmundurr wasn't either, but he looked away in embarrassment when Eilistraee caught him.

"Sorry," he said. "I can't help myself!"

"Ah, mortal man. No, you can't. I understand. Let me help you..."

And with that, her hair became even longer, forming a silver dress of sorts around herself.

"Eilistraee," he said when she was finished.

"Yes?"

"I think that's worse," he laughed.

"Oh? Sorry! I just thought my body was a bit too..."

"It is. Perfection," Sigmundurr said, but pointedly turned away.

She wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head on his massive shoulder.

"No, Sigmundurr. You said before I was the embodiment of female perfection. You were wrong about that. Female perfection is achieved when with child."

"Oh!" Kallid chirped up. "Kreet is pregnant! She's pregnant!"

Eilistraee looked at Kreet.

"No, Kallid," Kreet said to him. "I'm not pregnant. Sorry, in all the confusion, I haven't had time to tell you that. Eilistraee checked."

"Oh," Kallid said, and his eyes lost the blue glow. They walked on in silence for a while, still hand in hand, but Kreet could feel his dejection. But then he looked up at her again.

"Kreet," he said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Back there. When you put me to sleep..."

She nodded. "Yes?"

"Eilistraee woke us up, didn't she? I saw her in my dream."

"She did."

"And... she didn't have to wake me up, did she?"

"No. I asked her to."

"And you knew you weren't pregnant?"

"Yes. But wait... don't jump to conclusions, Kal."

"You wanted me to stay with you, didn't you? Even when you knew you weren't pregnant?"

They walked on a way, Kreet looking at him and he looking at her. "Yes, Kallid. I wanted you to stay with me."

Kallid beamed, literally. She could have sworn the blue light in his eyes was as bright as the moon shining through the trees above them. Thankfully he didn't say or ask anything more about it. He just squeezed her hand.

"Slave for life," Kreet thought to herself. "I hope you're happy, you damned selfish kobold."

And yet, she was happy. She looked away from Kallid, but if her smile wasn't evidence enough of that, the blue glow in her own eyes gave it away regardless.

"It's this night," she thought. "I'll come to my senses in the daylight. But, he's so damn cute." Then she thought of something, and looked at Eilistraee. The goddess smiled and shrugged, maybe a bit guiltily.

"Well," Kreet thought. "When under the spell of a goddess, there's not a whole lot you can do but go with the flow..."


	9. Romance (Kreet 41)

As they continued, the path was remained clear and Kreet felt like she'd never known a more perfect night in her life. Eilistraee began to hum a tune then. It was, perhaps, a bit melancholy, but somehow Kreet felt it reflected her mood perfectly. The worst thing about a perfect night is that it doesn't last for long.

"Are there lyrics to that?" Kallid asked the goddess when she stopped.

"Oh yes, indeed there are. I'm afraid it's a pretty standard love ballad though. Star-crossed lovers, you know. They always have to end tragically. But I love to dance to that melody."

Suddenly Eilistraee brightened up. "Say! We'll make the cave in plenty of time before daybreak. Would you like to visit a little place I know? Just for a little bit. Let me dance for you! It's not far."

"Is it safe?" Kreet asked, but Sigmundurr answered her before Eilistraee.

"Gator, when a goddess asks if you'd like to watch her dance, there's only one answer!"

"Oh, don't be like that Sigmundurr," Eilistraee complained. "It's just an idea I had. You can say no. Please don't think of me as a goddess... too much anyway. It's so nice to be with good mortals that don't have all those ulterior motives and schemes. As for it being safe... well, there are some perks to being a goddess. There won't even be any insects, I promise. Just a cricket or two and maybe some little frogs for ambience. What do you say?"

"Well then, lead on Dark Dancer!" Kreet laughed.

"It's just a little farther up the path, then we'll turn off and go through the woods for about a mile. Oh thank you! It seems like I never get a chance to show off anymore."

True to her word, they turned to walk through the woods at her signal. The brambles and underbrush disappeared as they passed, reappearing behind them.

"Nice trick!" Sigmundurr said. "I know a ranger who would love to know that one!"

They walked through the woods, not on any path, but following the glowing hair of the goddess until the woods fell away and they came upon a wide shallow lake. The grass was long but inviting as she ushered them to a spot at the lake's shore. The woods surrounding them were dotted only by fireflies, and Eilistraee assured Sigmundurr that he wouldn't need his sword, so he lay down beside the two kobolds and pulled a jug of water from his inventory which he shared with the others, not forgetting to offer some to Eilistraee.

She laughed at that, but accepted the jug anyway and drank delicately, even though she surely didn't need it. Perhaps it was just to make them feel more comfortable with her, but Kreet had a suspicion it might be the other way around. Maybe, she thought, being a goddess isn't all that great after all.

"Just one thing," she said before she started her dance. "Don't try to touch me while I'm out of my Avatar mode, okay? You'll know when that is. But mortals... well, it's probably not a good idea, that's all."

And then she began to sing, low and quiet. Her image dulled until she was only visible as a silhouette against the moon's reflection on the water, and her voice became even quieter until it was lost behind the groaning of the frogs and the chirping of crickets. And finally, the voice and the silhouette were gone.

But before they began to get worried, the crickets and frogs stopped their eternal songs too and there was complete silence over the lake. A ripple began, far out on the lake, as of a breeze stirring towards them. It approached and the breeze ruffled the grass around them and across their skin and scales.

And then a face appeared among the stars. Eilistraee of course, showing off. The song started again, shifting to a major key. The words again were in that foreign tongue but understandable as any in Common. They told of a meeting between two lovers, though what race, age, mortal or not wasn't clear. And then the dancer came into view, as graceful as they could imagine - floating among the stars above them. They lay back, and Kreet lay her head on Kallid's chest. He draped his arm lightly around her and they watched the dancer overhead.

Her size was un-guessable since the distance wasn't clear, but Eilistraee was pulling out all that stops, that much was plain.

She clearly was enacting a pursuit, the fearful maiden being chased by her brazen lover that the song described. Yet, with subtle smiles and pirouettes, it was clear she had no intention of escape. 

And then she was caught, and she tumbled in the sky as if rolling in the embrace of an unseen lover. The three gasped at the artistry, but couldn't tear their eyes away. 

Eilistraee began to undulate provocatively, slowly, the lyrics to the song no longer intelligible but there was no need. Her dance made it abundantly clear that the lovers were intertwined in the act. Such was the Dark Dancer's skill that her small audience almost felt they could see the invisible lover as much as herself. The dance began to quicken, the poses becoming more suggestive, and Kreet felt Kallid's hand stroking her side almost reflexively in sympathy. If it strayed a bit farther afield, she didn't mind. It felt... wonderful.

And then the dance and song stopped, yet the dancer remained in the stars, heaving breath as if she was spent and exhausted. Kreet took the opportunity to turn towards Kallid and nuzzled his neck and he returned the reptilian kiss before they went back to watching the goddess in the sky.

Suddenly Eilistraee rose from where she lay, looking around as if a menace had appeared, and as quickly a sword appeared in her hand. Then two. Thin, menacing blades of silver flashed in the moonlight, and Kreet sunk back involuntarily into Kallid's arms. The blade-work was amazing, one moment flashing wickedly in arc after arc as the dancer leaped through the deadly blades, then the next moment she caressed the swords as if romancing them.

Finally, though, and perhaps inevitably, she mimicked being stabbed by them and the tears began to flow. Kreet shot a look to Sigmundurr, and, though he was still watching intently, he had to stop to wipe the tears away from his face. Kreet felt better at that. The man had a heart, after all. She went back to watch the tale unfold in the goddess' dance above her.

Eilistraee had resumed the role of the female, her lover now dead at her feet. Grief was obvious, not only in her dance but in the song as well, the tune switching to heavily minor scales. But it was not the end of the dance. The grieving woman turned to gaze at the moon, and for a moment it seemed as if the moon gazed back at her. She cried out to the moon, and somehow a voice seemed to cry back from where the moon lay in the sky.

And then she danced in a different mode, no longer grieving. She seemed to have transferred her attention to the moon itself, as if her dead lover had been reincarnated as the great light in the night sky. Before that light, she bared all, giving herself to it's silvery gaze and hiding nothing. Her hair coiled around her head and she smiled to the moon, her hands outstretched, beckoning it to come to her and rest it's weary light between her breasts as the words implied.

And it did. The moon moved across the sky, slowly at first, impossibly. Kreet knew she was watching a goddess who could present just about anything to their eyes, illusion or reality. But she cried for joy anyway as the moon came to her and somehow did seem to rest between her breasts. She enfolded her body around it's silver glow, and the night went dark. Only the glowing outline of the goddess above them was visible now, curled around the moon in an eternal embrace.

Kreet turned to Kallid and hugged him to herself, weeping with joy and not letting any other thought get in the way. She heard the goddess return to her avatar form behind her and speak some words to Sigmundurr, but she wasn't paying attention. She heard them move off, and she broke away from Kallid just long enough to see the goddess and Sigmundurr walk into the woods, hand in hand, leaving the two kobolds alone. And then she was lost in the blue glow of Kallid's eyes. Those eyes reflected her own, she knew. The other two did not return for hours, and even then Kreet felt it was too soon. She was in paradise with Kallid, and she never wanted it to end.


	10. Short Engagement (Kreet 42)

The two kobolds hastily dressed and stood up at Sigmundurr's call, the long grass effectively shielding them from view until they were ready.

"Be right there, Sig!" Kreet answered, then turned back to Kallid. His eyes had turned nearly violet and the half-closed lids of his eyes made his weak smile look idiotic. "Come on silly. Time to go back to real life."

"Um... one question before we go back..."

Kreet cocked her head to one side. "What's that?"

"Will you marry me?"

Kreet took a heartbeat to understand the words. Then she sat back down.

"Kallid... are you serious? We only just met practically!"

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't serious."

Kreet thought quickly. Her question was just as valid when directed at herself. She'd only just met this kobold a few days ago. And now she'd mated with him twice! Was she really thinking about...

"Yes, Kallid. I would love to marry you," she said, throwing caution to the wind. If it was a mistake, she would own it.

" _Really_?!" he responded. It appeared he'd forgotten to close his mouth afterwards.

"Yes. If you want to. I think I'd like that."

Kallid jumped high in the air at that. "Well then, it just so happens I know a goddess... If that's okay."

Kreet giggled. "Sure. Why not? It's probably all her fault anyway."

Hand in hand they walked towards where Sigmundurr and Eilistraee waited at the edge of the woods; Kallid eagerly, Kreet embarrassed.

Sigmundurr laughed as they approached, "Well don't you look like the cat that ate the canary?!"

"We didn't eat anything!" Kallid said, misunderstanding. "Eilistraee? Would you marry us?"

The goddess smiled as if she expected the question. Kreet figured that she probably did. "Right here Kallid?"

He nodded eagerly, and she looked at Kreet.

"Yes, Eilistraee. Right here and now. I can't imagine a better place, or time."

"Well, you _are_ a least an hour late I'd guess." Sigmundurr snickered.

Kreet's eyes turned purple, which only made the human laugh aloud.

The ceremony was short but memorable for Kreet. Sig acted as their witness of course, but in just a few minutes Kreet and Kallid left the glade behind the goddess and Sigmundurr as a duly married couple, and Eilistraee admitted that theirs was the first wedding she had presided over.

"So," Sigmundurr asked as they turned back onto the path. "Where are you planning to spend your honeymoon?"

"What's a honeymoon?" Kallid asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"It's traditional for a human husband and wife to take a little trip," Kreet explained, "...after they get married. But I think we sort of already had our honeymoon."

Kallid looked confused.

Kreet nuzzled him again. She couldn't help herself. He still looked confused, but no longer seemed to care.

"So where did you two get off to?" Kreet asked, changing the subject.

"Don't worry, Kreet," Sigmundurr laughed. "We didn't do what you two did. She just showed me around the lake. I think she's a bit of a nature goddess."

"Well, I do appreciate it, I suppose. But it's not really my domain. I'm pretty much tied to the drow."

"And yet you're spending all this time with us?" Sig asked.

"Oh, I'm not really. Just... part of me. I'm not only here you know. But from your perspective, there's no need to think otherwise. Let's just say I have wide interests. So you liked my dance?"

"It was beautiful," Kreet said, and Kallid nodded agreement.

"Amazing," Sigmundurr said.

"You know, Sigmundurr, you could be my first human devotee. If you wanted to."

"Me? Sorry Eilistraee, I don't think I'd make much of an acolyte. I'm not exactly the religious type."

"You think not? You believe in me, don't you?"

"Well, sure. I believe in lots of gods. But that doesn't mean I want to spend my days spouting sermons or kneeling in front of images."

"Sig. Really. Look at me. Do I look like the kind of goddess who would want that sort of thing? No, I wouldn't want anything of the sort. All I ask is that you... bend a little. Try and be a little more empathetic, and try to control that temper of yours, along with other things. There is a kind of joy in physical conflict. I understand that. But there are other joys. Better ones. And maybe you could put in a good word or two about the drow when you can to others? There are good drow too you know."

"Not many," he retorted.

She had to agree. "No. But there are some still."

"Eilistraee, really. If suddenly that gate opened and hundreds of drow poured out of the Underdark, there would be a war. Surely you know that? You can't imagine the humans and daylight elves would tolerate it."

The goddess looked pensive before responding. "Not as they are now. You're right. But people can change. Even you can change."

"Already have. If you'd asked me what I would do alone with a naked woman like you yesterday, strolling down a road discussing religion would not have been my answer!"

"Learning self-control already are you?"

Sigmundurr thought about that a second. "Yeah. I guess I am. A little."

"That's enough," the goddess replied. "Sigmundurr, your desires won't change. But it's how you respond to them that can. I know what you'd like to do with me well enough. And that's okay, it's your nature. There's nothing wrong with it, so long as you stay in control of yourself."

"Now you sound like Kreet."

"Do I? Well, maybe Kreet has learned a thing or two herself in her life."

During all this, Kreet and Kallid were just listening and admiring the stars as they walked behind the other two, but with her name being mentioned Kreet began to pay closer attention.

"Sig, Kreet is a very special person. She wouldn't admit it, but she has gained wisdom that you wouldn't understand. She's had a life no kobold before her has ever gone through. She has suffered for that wisdom, so it's well earned. You should listen to her more, if not me."

"She can make sunglasses too!" Kallid added.

"Indeed she can! If more underground dwellers ever get a chance to emerge and live Outside, those will be valuable too."

"Stop it you guys. I'm just a kobold that lives Outside. Nothing more."

"That's not insignificant, Kreet," the goddess said. "But we've gone far enough. The cave I have in mind is just down this way. Follow me."

They did so and in a few minutes hiked up a small hill and found the cave. Light was just beginning to be seen over the horizon as they entered.

"Nothing to worry about in here, you say?" Sigmundurr asked.

"Nothing. And nothing will disturb you today. I'll be leaving you now. If I'm not back when you wake, just go back to the path and keep going. It goes all the way to the village, though it meanders a little. Nothing you'll find difficult."

"Will we see you again?" Kallid asked.

"Without a doubt. I'll see you tomorrow night. You have the word of Eilistraee. Sleep will come to you now. Good... day?"

"Good day Eilistrae!" Kreet said, along with the others.

The avatar turned as if to walk away but faded from existence before she got to the mouth of the cave.

"Well then, I'll take this niche, kobolds. Don't make too much noise. I'm a light sleeper."

"Sig, I've heard you snore. We'll be back here," Kreet answered, indicating the back of the cave which curved away from the mouth.

Kreet and Kallid found a nice little corner and snuggled together. Initially Kallid was a bit frisky, but the sleep soon caught up to him too and he fell to sleep on her chest.

"My little moon," Kreet thought, and held his head. Then she yawned and went to sleep herself, dreaming of stars and love.


	11. Daylight (Kreet 43)

Kreet awoke to the moaning of Kallid.

He was turned away from her, sitting facing the wall with his hands on his head.

"Kallid! What is it? What's wrong?"

"I have a headache. Kreet, it hurts!"

"Did you hurt yourself or something? Did you eat something maybe?"

"No. It's the light. I was alright for awhile but... it never stops. Oh Kreet, I don't think I can do this!"

Kreet fumbled through her inventory and took out one of the pair of sunglasses she'd made.

"Here. Put these on."

Kallid took them and fitted them to his head, pulling the dark cloth at the sides down to cover light leaching in from there and wrapping the woven stretchy loops around his horns. Then he went back to moaning and rocking on his haunches.

In the meantime, Kreet wove a light healing spell around him, hoping it would help ease the sensory overload his eyes were delivering. While it was comparatively dark here, it was probably lighter than the kobold had ever experienced for a long period.

"I'm sorry Kreet," he said, turning to her and she stifled a giggle at the rather ridiculous looking face in front of her. But he was sincere and suffering.

"Don't worry too much, Kallid. We'll just stay here till until nightfall, okay? Is that any better?"

"I think so."

"Maybe Eilistraee can do something later. Just lay back down for a little bit. I'll get some food."

"Food would be good," he smiled wanly.

Kreet rose and walked around to where Sigmundurr was still snoring. She touched him lightly but there was no change. She shook him more firmly. "Sigmundurr. Wake up."

Sigmundurr said, "HNNNNGGG."

" _SIG_!" she shouted and shook him with all her force.

"Hmm? Oh! Kreet. It's you. Is it time to get up already?"

"Yes. I think so. We're hungry. You got any food in your inventory?"

The big man sat up, rubbing his eyes. He looked outside. Though full daylight, the shadows did indicate it was approaching night again already.

"Food? Oh, sure! Do you want me to cook or something quick?"

"Oh good! I didn't remember to ask you to take food with us, but I was hoping..."

"Kreet, I'm an adventurer. You don't need to remind me to bring food. You might want to think about such things yourself more."

"Can we get both then? Kallid's not feeling well. The light, you know. I'm pretty used to it, but it will take him a while to adjust. I thought maybe something to distract him."

Sigmundur brought out some dried fruit and nuts, then went out to get wood for a small fire while Kreet brought the food back to Kallid.

"Got any mushrooms?" he asked, greedily scarfing down the offering.

"Let me look around you pig," she laughed and set about searching the cave. She found a few, but it should be enough. Before going back to Kallid, Sigmundurr returned and started a small fire near the entry.

"Thanks Kreet," Kallid said when she got back. "I'm feeling a little better. Sorry for eating everything. I didn't save anything for you. I'm... not used to being married I guess."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Sig's going to be cooking something, and knowing him there'll be plenty for all of us."

Suddenly Kallid looked up. She couldn't see his eyes, but he seemed suddenly worried about something.

"What is it?"

"I... um. I have to go."

"Go where?"

"No. I have to GO."

"Oh!" Kreet said, understanding at last. "Well, I guess you could just... go over there."

"Kreet! What kind of kobold do you think I am? Besides, this is the first place we ever slept after we got married. It's like our honeymoon cave! I don't want to piss in it!"

"Well, it's either that or brave the full daylight outside. You think you're up for it?"

"I'll have to be! But I think this is working pretty good."

Kreet put on her own glasses and went outside with Kallid. He didn't complain at the light, though they stuck to the shade of the nearby trees as much as they could, and the sun was just about to set.

"Still okay?" Kreet asked.

"Yeah! I'm fine! But... would you mind turning around?"

"Why? We're married now."

"I'm shy. Please?"

"Well, okay."

When they returned, Sig was cooking some eggs and some sort of meat over the fire he'd built.

"Wow! Sig, that smells awesome!"

"Best cook in the wild. Got some eggs and pork belly. Should be done in just a few minutes. You okay Kallid?"

"Yes! These glasses work great!"

"I hope so. You look ridiculous. What were you to doing out there?"

"Pissing," Kallid answered, then apologized for the vulgarity.

"Kallid, you don't need to apologize," Kreet said.

"Why?" Sigmundurr asked, flipping some eggs over. "I just went over in that corner."

Kallid looked at Kreet. "Oh well," she said. "So much for our honeymoon suite."

However, when the breakfast was served, all was forgiven.

"Sigmundurr, this is great stuff!" Kreet said, wolfing down another egg. "What's in it?"

"Oh, just some spices I keep around. It is good though, isn't it?"

Kallid just nodded, his mouth full of potato.

When finally they were finished, they gathered up everything. Outside the sky was clear and the stars were beginning to show.

"I guess we'll start without Eilistraee," Sigmundurr said, and they walked back they way they'd come. They weren't far from the path, and they started down it again.

Kreet removed her glasses and put them away, but suggested Kallid keep his on for a little longer. But he decided to take them off anyway.

"I need to get used to it eventually, Kreet. It's not too bad now anyway."

"That's probably right. I was taken out of my home caverns when I was little, so I got used to it pretty quick."

"STOP!" said a voice suddenly and unexpectedly from just ahead. Three armed men stepped from behind trees on their right and left. Sigmundurr smiled and pulled out his sword.

Kreet heard something behind her and she turned around to see three more. They did not look friendly.

"What have we here?" said another of the men in front. "A fat man and a couple of kobolds? Slim pickings I say."

"Lucky to get 2 gold off them. Not worth it I say," said another.

Sigmundurr laughed at that.

"I've got over 700, if you gents would like to try and get it!" he said, and Kreet stared at him horrified.

"Bullshit," said the first. "You look like you ate it all if ever you had any!"

That set the others laughing, but they didn't approach any closer.

"Funny man," Sigmundurr said, obviously itching for a fight.

"What, you think you can take us all on Big Man?" asked another behind them. "Just leave us what you got and nobody gets hurt, right?"

"Sorry gents," Sigmundurr laughed. "You picked the wrong guy to rob. But I tell you what. You send your best up against me, and if he wins, you can have everything I own! Sound good?"

"Pfft," the first responded. "If you're dead we'll take it anyway."

"Well, there's still my two friends you'll have to contend with."

"What, kobolds? Fuck man, you've taken leave of your senses. I could snap one of their scrawny necks with my left hand! Look, you look like you might be alright. But you can't take us all on, and I'd hate to hurt one of your little scaly 'friends' in the scuffle." said the man behind them, and Kreet noticed they were approaching.

"What, now you're threatening to hurt my kobold slaves? You guys must be really stupid. I can buy two more back in the Underdark tomorrow," Sigmundurr laughed, and kicked Kallid to the ground behind him. Kreet looked back to Sigmundurr angrily as her husband got back up.

Sigmundurr looked at Kreet. "Oh, now what, you guys going to rebel on me too?"

"No master!" she said, finally getting the ruse.

"Fuck this," the guy in front said. "Come on guys. Let's cut the fat guy down to size."

Suddenly they all charged in. Kallid pulled Kreet to the side away from the impending melee, almost instinctively. The bandits paid them no attention, but she took aim at one of the men coming at Sigmundurr from behind. Not a Guiding Bolt this time though. She'd not had time to consider her options, and still hadn't learned any new spells since rising to the third clerical level, but she knew the sleep spell and cast it at him.

He crumbled to the ground but the others were charging and didn't notice, and then all five remaining bandits were on Sigmundurr.

Kreet readied another spell but couldn't be sure she wouldn't hit Sigmundurr.

Then Eilistraee arrived.


	12. Moonblades (Kreet 44)

Eilistraee stepped, smiling, from the woods near the path where Sigmundurr's sword was swirling in wide arcs, managing to keep the majority away - but Kreet saw two of the bandits were drawing their bows.

"Hello gentlemen," Eilistraee said in a voice soft yet penetrating. "Mind if I interrupt your playtime?"

"Eilistraee!" Kreet called, relief washing over her. The bandits obviously did not recognize the name, and it was then that Kreet noticed her hair. Rather than floating around her head as she'd seen before, it was instead hanging long and luxurious over her shoulders.

"Holy shit!" one of the bandits said, breaking off his attack on Sigmundurr.

"Oh my. What's a pretty drow like you doing out of your caves?"

"And out of her clothes! Check out those boobs!"

"Oh, do you like? And I thought you boys just liked playing with old men," Eilistraee was grinning now. She was obviously enjoying this. "And kobolds I suppose."

"What, this fat guy? We were just going to shave some excess weight off him. Wait, where''s Ulder?"

One of the men noticed their compatriot sleeping on his back nearby. "Just sleeping."

"Sleeping? Wait a minute. Are you some sort of caster, you drow bitch?"

The first had woken the sleeping man.

"Oh, I don't need magic," Eilistraee laughed, and produced two silver swords from behind her back. Kreet realized she'd seen the same thin blades during her dance the night before. "I think these will do just fine."

"[FA: "](https://www.furaffinity.net/user/) one of the men laughed. "Toys! Here's a _real_ sword!" He swung his huge bastard sword through the air.

"Well, if you really want to play with me, I would enjoy it. But I should warn you, I'm pretty good with these 'toys'."

"Tell you what, darkskin, why don't you put those away and I'll show you an even better sword!"

"What, just you? You think a single man is enough for me? I'll take you all on."

The bandits had left Sigmundurr behind, two keeping an eye on him. Sigmundurr wasn't hurt, but he was winded. 

"No sneaking up on us, big guy!" one said to him.

"Pfft. Me? I'm just a spectator now! You 'boys' have at it. This should be fun to watch." Sigmundurr said between breaths.

"Oh, it'll be fun alright. Listen bitch, this is your last chance. You can put those little pigstickers down and we'll treat you to all the swordplay you can handle. Keep them and you won't live to regret it."

Eilistraee twirled one around while leaning on the other. "Oh, I'm sure I won't regret it."

The lead bandit tested her with a swing. She danced back out of it's arc and tapped the sword with her own as it passed.

The others formed a circle around them, effectively preventing her from dodging too much. Then the first tried her again, an overhead swing this time. She deflected it with one blade and tapped him with the side of her sword on his wrist.

"Nice, lady. For a darkskin, you're not too bad. But you made a mistake. Apparently you think this is a _GAME_!" and with that he lunged at her in earnest, taking a vicious swipe at her legs. She leaped over the blade and before he could swing it back around he suddenly was clawing at his neck. Blood spurted from the thin line before his head tumbled off his body, which crumpled to the ground.

"Holy FUCK!" cried one of the men.

"Rush her, she can't take us all!"

"Damn you drow, I'm gonna..."

And on that cue they all rushed in, blades first. Eilistraee laughed and speared two through the stomach as she ran between them, their blades crossing where she had been but finding nothing there. They went down screaming.

The other three looked at each other, eyes wide. Then they ran for the woods at top speed.

Eilistraee complained, "Wait! I thought we were going to play!?" and she threw a sword end-over-end at their backs. It skewered the hindmost dead center and he dropped like a rock, dead before he hit the ground.

"I can get the other two, if you want," Sigmundurr said loudly over the screaming of the two with holes through their abdomens.

"No need, I don't think. But thanks for the offer. As for you two...." she said, and passed her hand over them.

They stopped screaming. They stopped moving. They stopped breathing.

"You killed them?" Kreet asked, horrified.

Eilistraee nodded. "Sorry Kreet. I know you don't like killing. But sometimes it's necessary."

"You could just as easily healed them! I know you could have."

"Yes, I could have. But you don't see the world as I do, little one. You'll have to trust me on that. Both they and the world are better off this way. You cannot know the future, so for you it's best to be gentle and good. However, if you were in my place... Well, you'd understand better anyway."

"Then you could have just killed them instantly!" Kallid said, taking up Kreet's defense.

"...and spared them the suffering."

Eilistraee nodded. "Yes. I could have. I'm sorry. I'm not above having a little fun."

Kreet shot her an angry look. Eilistraee may be a goddess, but Kreet would never worship her. She had a mean streak.

As if reading her mind, Eilistraee sat down on the ground, making a dismissive gesture towards the bodies. At that, they disappeared, blood and all.

"No, I'm not a goddess of morality or good, Kreet. Most consider me good because I believe in harmony among the races, but I carry some aspects of the drow too. Your Pelor now... He's a Good god. He would agree with you. We get along, but he wouldn't deign to intervene in a petty squabble like that. He'd just erase them from existence and move along. But, you know, some good will come of that. Those last two... they will be better. Not good, but better men than they were. So they continue to exist at the cost of the other four."

"That doesn't seem right, still," Kreet said, sitting in front of the goddess, and Kallid sat beside her as if in support.

"You're not my cleric, Kreet. We do disagree on some things. We'll have to leave it at that. And yet, Sigmundurr... What do you think?"

"I think you should have killed them all when you got here."

"Ah! Now see, there's something I can work with! Come on now. We've a long way to go this evening and we still won't get to that village tonight."

"You got here awfully... conveniently."

Eilistraee sighed. "I know. Of course I knew what was going to happen. I could have been here earlier. That's why we gods really shouldn't hang around mortals too much. It's difficult. We're not perfect either Kreet. We have emotions too. I enjoy being with you, but it's taxing. You don't understand what I do or why I do it, and I can only give you a glimmer of what we know. Please don't ask too much of me. I will disappoint you, and I don't want to do that."

"Well... no more killing, okay?"

"Not even if, say, Kallid were in danger?"

Kreet thought about that a second, then stood up. "Well... no. That would be okay."

Eilistraee stood again, joining her, and her hair began to flow around her shoulders eerily. The goddess was back.

"See? There are, circumstances. And the more you knew, the more circumstances you'd find. There are even circumstances where killing a good person results in greater good than letting him live, if those circumstances require it."

"Sounds like you're saying we shouldn't trust you," Kallid said, eyeing the goddess.

"You probably shouldn't. Not because I intend you harm, but because you don't know my reasons. You _can't_ know my reasons. And so, it's probably best from your perspective if you don't. The Capricious God, you'd say. And yet, from my point of view, I'm anything but capricious. I like you. Even Sigmundurr. And I'll try and keep you on the right path as long as I can, and I'm not just talking about this road."

"That'll have to do, I guess," Kreet said, and they continued into the night of the second 'day'.


	13. Sunrise (Kreet 45)

The path joined with another, larger and more worn, that could truly be called a road. By the time they reached it, it was deserted. They passed their first remote farmstead, the house far from the road and invisible behind the woods, but they could hear the occasional bark of a large dog.

"I grew up on a farmstead like that," Sigmundurr said, breaking the silence that had come over them. "Rough life. You've gotta be tough way out here. Need a real pioneer spirit to live at the end of the line."

Kreet smiled at that. "Or you really don't like other people a lot!"

"That too," Sigmundurr agreed, not realizing it was intended as a joke.

"You were a farmer? I don't picture that," Eilistrae picked up the conversation.

"Not really. Dad was. He kicked me out. Deserved it though. I sucked as a farmer. My brothers were a lot better than me. Hell, my sister was better than me. Plus I kept running off to the tavern and coming back drunk. And... not alone."

"Oh! Were you popular with women when you were young?" Kallid asked.

"Whaddaya mean _when_ I was young?! I'm still young!"

"I... mean, when you were living with your dad." Kallid countered quickly.

"Oh. Well, no. Not really. I had to pay em."

"Whores? Your mom and dad didn't mind?" Kreet asked, incredulous.

"Mom ran off after I was born. Never knew her. Just Dad. I don't think he minded that so much. Heck, he brought some home sometimes himself. But he didn't care for me straying out of my race. I liked the exotics. One morning he caught me with a cat girl and booted me out."

"What, is he racist or something?" asked Kreet.

"Oh, probably. But it was the best thing for me. I hooked up with some adventuring fellas and never looked back. Turns out I made a pretty good figher."

The trees became sparser as the road continued, and farmsteads became more numerous. They met their first fellow traveler, though he was drunk and sleeping it off by the side of the road. He woke at the sound of their approach, but just gaped at them the four walked by.

"Good evening," Kreet said, bowing to him as they passed.

"E...evening," he managed.

Otherwise the evening was theirs to traverse in peace. They had covered many miles, with not too many stops, when Kreet asked the question Kallid had whispered to her a short time before.

"Hey, Eilistrae. Do you have any ideas on where we should stop before morning yet? Kallid's not really ready for full daylight yet."

She looked at the kobold, valiantly managing to stay up with the others, though the stress was beginning to show. Kreet had been travelling with 'big folk' for most of her life and her legs had become accustomed to a quicker gait, plus she was at least somewhat larger than Kallid which also helped in that regard.

"I do, in fact," Eilistrae assured them. "There's an old widower, lives not far from the road just a bit farther ahead. I think he would be happy for the company. His caretaker has left him for a day so he's all alone. In fact, I think I'll join you this time."

"Oh! Even in the day?"

"I'll help keep the house dark. Kallid won't have any problem. Sound good?"

Sigmundurr laughed, "Sounds good Eilistrae. Do we have a choice?"

True to her word, they turned off the road and down a winding cart-path until they came to a small, poor but well-kept house. A light was on inside. A single candle could be seen moving around inside. As the approached, they could hear humming.

Sigmundurr knocked at the door. The man within was wearing an old frayed robe and was apparently going about his morning breakfast ritual.

Eilistrae whispered, "He's a little hard-of-hearing Sig. Bang harder."

He did so, and the old man finally took notice.

"Who's here at this hour?" he asked, approaching with his candle held high.

"Just some travelers, seeking some shelter for the day."

"Travelers eh? I'm just an old man. I've got nothing worth stealing."

"Hey," Sigmundurr pointed out, "We did knock! Thieves wouldn't do that."

"No... no they wouldn't. Well come on in. Let's see what we've got here..."

"Oh my!!!" he cried when Eilistraee made her entrance behind Sigmundurr, "Well aren't _you_ a Beauty!"

"Thank you, Sir Bart."

"Well sit your pretty self down over there on the couch. My, this is turning into quite a morning! And a couple of little kobolds too? What are you two doing out of your caves?"

"Thank you for your hospitality," Kreet said, and he nodded back to her, then poked his head looking around outside for more.

"And polite ones at that! That all of you?"

"That's all," Sigmundurr said. "Sorry for the imposition, but the kobolds like to travel at night and there's really no where else to stay before morning."

"Oh, hell. No problem. But lady, how do you know my name? I don't even go by that anymore. You one of those mages? Never liked em."

"Something like that, Sir Bart."

"You want some clothes or something? I'm making some tea. I can add more."

"Thanks," Eilistraee replied sweetly. "But I'm more comfortable like this."

"What's 'tea'?" Kallid asked, brightening up now that he could rest a little.

"'What's tea?' Why, young feller, it's only the best drink in the world. Well, without alcohol in it. Can't drink the good stuff anymore. Wynda - she's my boy's wife. Comes by to take care of me. Anyway, she says I'll die if I drink the good stuff again. Probably right."

The old man left the room into another, presumably a kitchen, but the open space between the rooms in the little house allowed for the conversation to continue.

"So you live here alone?" Kreet asked.

"My, but you talk well for a kobold! Oh no. Got my cats. Not much for conversation, but I like 'em. Don't worry, I don't let em in. Knew a girl once. Real cat lover. Lived for em. House smelled like cat piss. Oh it was awful."

"I hope we're not too much of an imposition anyway," Kreet continued.

The old man, Sir Bart, returned and sat in an old overstuffed and worn chair slowly. "Got more water on the boil. Oh, you're no imposition at all. Not much happens in my life anymore, you know. Basically just sit around and wait for Old Bones to arrive. Glad to have the company. So what brings you here? I assume by the kobolds you're coming up from the Drow caves?"

Sigmundurr nodded. "Yup. This is Kreet. She was raised by humans up top. We're looking for her home. She sorta got lost. That other kobold she's all touchy-feely with is her husband, Kallid. And he is just out of the caves but wanted to come along. I'm Sigmundurr. Just kinda along for the ride. And this here..."

As he turned to the goddess, she rose and crossed over to the old man.

"This is the goddess Eilistraee."

"A goddess? In my house?"

"Pleased to meet you, Sir Bart. We met once before. Long ago. You killed quite a few of my drow as I recall. Well, perhaps 'met' is too strong. I became aware of you."

The old man's eyes grew wide.

"Relax, Sir Bart. You were justified. I'm not here to take your soul."

"Eilistraee. Can't say I remember the name, honestly. But I'm honored you would come to my door! A goddess. Wynda will never believe this!"

Eilistraee took his hand. "No, she won't. Maybe we could just keep it a secret? She'll think you're going senile."

"I am you know." he said, looking forlorn into the goddess' eyes.

"You are what?" Kallid asked, interested.

"Senile. I can't remember things. Little things now, but it's getting worse. And I forget where I am. Sometimes I think I'm back... I'm going senile."

"You are," Eilistraee said, sitting beside him and stroking his head. "It is a sad thing, but it is the way of life, you know. You must make room for the new ones coming up. But you'll not be senile while I am in your house, Sir Bart."

"No. I'm not right now, am I? I can tell."

"If you'd like, Sir Bart... I can call him. I can call Old Bones to come and fetch you after we leave. Would you prefer that?"

The old man's eyes began to tear up. "It's a temptation, to be sure." he said, and he ran his own hand down the goddess' flank as if oblivious to just who it was he was groping. "But even when senile, I can still appreciate beauty. I don't want to leave yet. Not quite yet. I might just have a use still in this world."

Kreet was a little surprised the goddess allowed such familiarity, but she hugged him to her instead and kissed his forehead before rising. He ran his fingers across her back and bottom as she walked back to sit beside Sigmundurr.

"Yes, you might at that, Sir Bart. I am sorry for your affliction"

"Could you cure it?" Kreet asked.

A scream came then from the other room causing Kallid to jump up, alarmed.

"What's that?!" he shouted, worried.

"Oh, relax little kobold. It's just the water for the tea. I'll be right back."

"I could, Kreet." Eilistraee admitted to Kreet. "But then a worse affliction would follow. Senility is a terrible disease, it's true. His daughter-in-law sees it and it breaks her heart as he is slowly lost. But the alternatives are worse. You all must die, Kreet. There is no good death, despite what the novelists would have you believe. No one dies peacefully in their sleep. They die choking or gasping for breath or worse. Life doesn't like giving up. Nature and Fate have decreed this is to be his end. It's not such a bad end, as such things go."

Sir Bart returned with two cups of tea, and Eilistraee rose to help him, taking them and distributing them to the kobolds.

"No, it's not so bad," he said, returning to the kitchen where Eilistraee followed to help. They returned with three more cups, Eilistraee handing one to Sigmundurr and taking the other for herself as she sat back down while the old man eased himself back into his old chair.

"It's not like I haven't thought about it," he said, then a thought came to him. "Oh! I'm sorry, Eilistraee. I guess you don't really drink!"

"I can. Or not. But as long as I'm here among you mortals, I'm happy to."

"Well, then I hope you like it! My own special blend."

They stopped talking for a moment while they sipped at their tea.

"Very hot," Kreet whispered to Kallid. "Let it cool down first. Will burn your mouth." So the two kobolds just blew on the top of their cups to cool it.

"Wow!" Sigmundurr said, after having taken a sip. "That's actually pretty good. And I don't like tea!"

"Why thank you. Since I retired here, I've been growing and refining tea in a little garden out back. You're drinking years of refining and blending of different varieties."

"Sir Bart's Best!" Sigmundurr named it.

"Indeed, it is. I'm glad you like it. But, hey, I'm keeping you. The sun should be coming up soon. Wait... it should already be up! Strange."

"Oh, sorry. I should have warned you. I'm doing that, Sir Bart," Eilistraee confessed. "If you step outside it will be morning as you know it. But the light is still tough on little Kallid here."

"A goddess. Strange. Should I be, I don't know, kneeling or something?"

"Probably. But don't. I'm suppressing that anyway. No, just treat me like a mortal."

"If I were to treat you like a mortal, you might not like it!" the old man leered.

"You get used to it... somewhat," Sigmunder laughed, understanding completely.

After their tea, the old man suggested they go out and sit on the porch. Kallid admitted to being tired anyway, so he went back to the bedroom. It was a small room with only the one bed. After some quiet discussion, the kobolds decided to make a bed on the floor at the foot of the bed instead, leaving the bed to Sigmundurr.

"Or Eilistraee. If she's really going to stay with us all day."

"Let's let them figure that out," Kreet replied. "Are you sure Kallid? I can just sleep here beside you. I'm tired too."

"No, you go on with them. I'll be fine. Just wake me when you get back."

"I will," Kreet said and nuzzled her mate before stepping back to the common room, donning her 'sunglasses', and opening the door to the porch.

She shielded her eyes reflexively as the light from the sun could be seen peeking through the trees to the east. But she recovered quickly. The old man was rocking slowly on a chair with a curved bottom, while Sigmundurr and Eilistraee sat on a bench tied to the roof with rope, slowly swaying back and forth while watching a cat fumble with a moth some ways off.

Eilistraee patted the bench on the other side of her, inviting Kreet to sit there, so she did so. Her legs couldn't reach the porch, but Sigmundurr started the bench to swinging again.

"Pity," the old man was saying. "Sunrise is the most beautiful time of day."

"You okay with being out in the daylight, Eilistraee?" Sigmundurr asked the goddess.

"Fine. It's not my domain, and we gods try to keep out of each other's way. But Pelor is happy with me for helping Kreet out, so I'm good. Sorry, Kreet, I was just telling Sir Bart that I don't get to see the sun rise very much. It really is gorgeous."

The old man was smoking a long pipe he had presumably lit from the kitchen stove. Kreet watched in fascination as he blew smoke rings while they watched.

"This reminds me of a my adopted father, long ago," she said after a time of silence. "My first human. We used to sit on his porch too. Watching his cat. Evenings though. We slept in the mornings."

"Sunset's are fine too," Sir Bart said between puffs. "But they always reminded me of the end of things. Sunrise is the beginning. Beginnings are nicer."

"Speaking of which," Eilistraee said, and Kreet felt the godess' cool hand on her shoulder. It felt very nice. It's good to have a friend who's a goddess, she thought.

Then suddenly she connected what Eilistraee was implying. She looked up at the dark face in alarm.

"I'm....?"

"Two in fact. Yes, Kreet."

"Two! Are they..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, impatient kobold. You'll have to wait and see."

The old man looked at them, confused.

"She's pregnant," Eilistraee explained. "Got two little buns in her oven."

"Oh! That's wonderful! Congratulations Kreet!"

"Thank you! I guess! But that means... Oh my god. The sand begins to run through the hourglass!"

Eilistraee's face turned a bit more serious, but the smile was still there. "Yes Kreet. You have about 6 months to find your home - or make a new one for yourself."

"Eilistraee! I have no idea how to... do this! I read some books, but they were by humans. They didn't talk about birth! Or how to raise babies!"

She felt the cool hand stroke her and her initial panic passed as the goddess's words of comfort calmed her. "Relax, Kreet. Your body knows how to do what it needs to do. I'm afraid as a goddess, I can't provide much advice. And these men are even worse, so don't look to them. Kallid will help for support, but he won't know anything either. You're best off to find another female friend. A mother. These men only know how to plant it. Nurturing and harvesting isn't their forte. Just do your best. You will do fine."

Kreet looked into the eyes of the goddess, fear apparent. Deep down, she knew she wanted this, but now that it was confirmed, she was right back with the fear she'd had at first.

"Kreet, Take comfort in that. This is coming from a goddess who knows. You _WILL_ do fine."


	14. Gods and Mortals (Kreet 46)

Kreet nodded, and she did feel reassured. Scared, still, but better. Yet this was what she wanted, wasn't it? What she'd wanted for years in fact. But now that she was staring her future full in the face, it scared her. Still, she supposed, it would probably scare any first-time mother. From what she knew, at least she took some comfort in the simple fact that birthing for kobolds was likely a lot easier than that of humans. The hips that had flared out under her waist and caused her such embarrassment when she had crossed puberty now gave her some assurance that, indeed, she was designed for this.

And two of them - that wasn't so bad. Kobolds were known to give birth to a lot more than two on occasion. She had been born without any twins, herself, but all three of her older brothers had been born at once.

In her native kobold language, 'hatched' was a perfectly acceptable term, but she had been speaking in the human tongue for so long now it just didn't feel right. She didn't like to think of her children as being 'hatched'. At least she didn't have to pass gangly elbows and knobby knees, not to mention the umbilical cord and placenta that humans had to endure. Eggs might seem animalistic to humans, but frankly she was quite happy that her babies would be born in nice, compact and best-of-all, _smooth_ format!

But still... how on earth could she ever... so big. She closed her eyes and felt the rocking of the bench. Somehow, she would manage. The goddess had said so.

And then she felt the hand of the goddess on her again.

"Kreet? You're sleeping. Why don't you go in to Kallid?"

Groggily she nodded and stepped off the bench.

"I think I'll head in too," Sigmundurr said, yawning widely. "Good day Eilistraee. And Sir Bart."

The old man waved his pipe in acknowledgement. "Well, Eilistraee," he smiled to the goddess. "Want to take a stroll with me around the place?"

"That sounds like a fine idea, Sir Bart. Sig, Kreet, I'll join you a little later."

And with that, Sigmundurr held the door for Kreet into the dark interior of the house. She looked at the incongruous sight of an old man and a beautiful naked drow goddess strolling through the sun-dappled grass, hand in hand.

Kreet smiled at her snoring husband when she entered the little bedroom. It was a cute sound, more of a rumble than Sigmundurr's loud cacophony. She snuggled under the blanket beside him and he stirred, and pulled her hand around himself.

She heard Sigmundurr climb into the small bed and wondered for a moment where Eilistraee was going to sleep, but realized the goddess probably wouldn't sleep at all anyway. Instead she felt the vibrations of her husband's breathing and she laid her snout on top of his shoulder. Pregnant she may be, but this was nice. She realized she was falling in love, if a little belatedly, with her children's father. He might be smaller than her, but he had a good heart. That meant a lot. And then all was darkness and warmth and she didn't dream.

Hours later she felt Kallid stir behind her and get up out of bed. Vaguely she heard him emit a little squeak and she turned to look at him, but he shook his head, indicating it was nothing and he went out of the room, carrying his sunglasses with him.

He returned a few minutes later, and she went back to sleep. She awoke to her husband waking her in a very intimate way.

"Kallid," she whispered. "Not here!"

Her husband giggled and turned himself back around from his rather unusual position.

"Okay," he whispered. "But come look!"

Kreet rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood up, looking at where Kallid was pointing with a ridiculous grin on his face.

In the small bed, Sigmundurr continued to snore loudly, but underneath the blanket with him, the goddess lay with her head across his chest, apparently sleeping too.

Kreet's eyes went wide. "Do you think?"

Kallid shrugged, but took her by the hand and led her out into the main room. The old man was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't get it. Eilistraee didn't even like him! Now she's sleeping with him?" Kreet said quietly to Kallid in the kobold language.

"You think goddesses even... do that?"

"No idea. I guess they can, if they want, right? I mean, she eats and drinks with us."

Kallid shrugged.

"Wait. They couldn't have. I mean, I don't know for sure, but something tells me Sigmundurr would be... loud."

Kallid nodded. "True. I doubt we would sleep through anything like that."

Kreet considered further though, "Then again, Eilistraee could... make us not hear if she wanted to. But no, I don't think so. She sure is being awfully chummy with him though, isn't she? Why?"

"I'm working on him, Kreet," Eilistraee said, walking into the room and speaking in perfect kobold.

Kallid giggled and Kreet gave him a look before turning back to the goddess who sat beside them.

"You, might want to clarify that a little," Kreet said.

"You know his nature, Kreet. While not evil, Sigmundurr is a violent man. And very headstrong. Not unlike some drow in many ways."

"You're changing his nature?" Kreet asked. "I don't know if... It doesn't sound right."

"Not through any means you might think. That would prove nothing if I just _changed_ him like that. I have to work through experience on him. I am trying to show him that gentleness has its merits too. And I think it's working."

"But, I thought you didn't like him."

"I didn't say that, Kreet. I said you'd regret bringing him with you. And you will. But you said it yourself. Chaos, rage, anger. They have their place too. They just need to be moderated. I'm trying to provide that. And I think he's beginning to see it too."

Kallid had to ask the question that both the kobolds were wondering. "Did you... you know... "

The dark woman smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"That, little kobold, is not for you to be concerned about. But you are a curious race. No. Not that I haven't considered it, but that would be too much, I think. Mortals are tricky in that regard. It's far from unheard of, you know. Some gods play with mortals all the time - almost always to the mortal's regret. But there is something in you mortals that make so much more of it than just a fling, especially when it's with one of us. Then we get a simpering worshiper that often has lost all the qualities that we liked in the first place. In the case of Sigmundurr, that would be like castrating a dog. I don't want that. I am attracted to him - yes, even we gods can fall in love. And lust. But I don't want to change him that much. I just want to... gentle him a little."

"I think it's working," Kreet nodded. "He's different."

"I know. But I have little time left, I'm afraid. Tonight you'll reach the village, and I can no longer travel with you."

"Aww," Kallid said, his eyes turning mournfully dark. Kreet felt hers do the same. "You're leaving us?"

Eilistraee held his head in her hands. "Yes, Kallid. It's one thing for me to be seen strolling around in the countryside. But quite another to be seen in a village. It could be done, but it would alter things too much. No, my time with you is nearly over - at least for now. But I'll see you again, I promise."

Turning to Kreet, she laid a hand on her belly and smiled genuinely. "I'll see you before these arrive, Kreet. Oh they're going to be something, Kreet. These two are going to be... something."

Kreet looked at Kallid.

"Your babies, Kallid."

Suddenly he realized what they were talking about.

"Not the quickest kobold, is he?" Eilistraee laughed.

"No," Kreet agreed as she took her husband's and and put it on her belly with Eilistraee's. "Not the quickest. Just the best."

"We'll miss you," Kallid said when he managed to move his deep-red eyes away from Kreet.

"I know," Eilistraee said, and stood up from the couch where they had been sitting. "And I'll miss you too. Even you, little father. But it's time for your lives to get back to normal. You'll think back to these days like you were under an enchantment. Maybe you were. But you need to go back to getting scratches, and bug bites, and hunger and thirst. I'll be watching though. I won't be your protector, but I will be watching. Sorry, no, I won't come when you call for me. It doesn't work like that. You need to live your lives, and all won't be rosy. That's life."

Kreet inhaled deeply, knowing the truth behind her words. "Back to life," she said exhaling.

"Yes. back to life. Speaking of which..." said the drow goddess, turning towards the doorway to the bedroom.

Sigmundurr was stirring, and in a minute he stood in the doorway, blanket wrapped around himself. He was looking confused. The two kobolds got off the couch as Eilistraee motioned for him to sit beside her.

"Sorry Sigmundurr," she said. "That was probably too bold of me. Please, don't read too much into it."

"Oh, of course not!" he laughed, and slapped her leg which startled even the goddess. "Why, I sleep with goddesses all the time. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you always wake up with the worst breath!"

"What?" Eilistraee said, shocked. "What do you mean? My breath is..."

"It's beautiful, of course", said the big man, and kissed her full on the mouth.

It may have been the first time Kreet realized that the goddess could be surprised, and by the look on Kallid's face when Kreet turned to him, she saw the same look there.

"Sigmundurr!" Eilistraee shouted, bolting from the couch. "Really! This is too much. I'm sorry I even..."

"You're leaving us tonight, aren't you," he stated, not really a question.

"Well, yes. I have to."

"Where's the old man?"

"He's just out down the road visiting a neighbor a few miles away. He's fine. But really, about your..."

Sigmundurr held up a finger, which oddly worked to shush the goddess.

"And what time is it outside? Is it dark yet?"

"Almost, but what on earth do you think gives you the right to..."

"Kreet, would you mind if you and Kallid go out and check on the cats for a while?"

"The cats? What's..." Kallid began, but Kreet took his hand and filled it with his sunglasses.

"About an hour's worth of checking should be fine," Sigmundurr said as he took Eilistraee's hand. She didn't pull it away.

Kreet and Kallid stepped through the door into dusk. Fireflies were just coming to life and they saw no cats.

The house was a small one, and not well insulated. Kallid and Kreet had to stroll quite a way down the path that led to it before they were sufficiently out of earshot of the other two. And Sigmundurr wasn't the only voice they heard, though the mortal and the goddess weren't talking.

"Think he'll be alright?" Kallid asked as the two stopped to skip some stones across a small pond beside the path.

"Who knows? But I don't picture that man ever becoming some sort of lapdog either, goddess or no."


	15. Farewell (Kreet 47)

The old man returned a short time later and the two kobolds joined him on the walk back to the house, where they found Sigmundurr and Eilistraee sitting on the porch bench, swinging and talking quietly.  
  
"Aye, all packed and ready to go so soon?" Sir Bart said as they approached, noticing the packs laid out beside the pair.  
  
"I'm afraid we must," Eilistraee said, rising from the bench. "These three still have a good way to travel before they reach the nearest village tavern.  
  
"Well, it's been a pleasure having you stay with me. Here, don't leave just yet. I have a little something for you," he said and scurried in the house to get something.  
  
"I don't think it's been an hour, Sig," Kreet said, unable to keep from giving him a little ribbing.  
  
The big man leaned back on the bench, a smile coming over his face and closing his eyes as if in remembrance. "Turns out I've not got quite the stamina I thought I did."  
  
"Enough of that. What's done is done. Water under the bridge," Eilistraee said, and Kreet could swear she saw the goddess blush. "Now that's unexpected!" she thought.  
  


"Here you go," the old man said as he bustled back out with three little packets. "One for each of you. My best leaves."

"Oh, we can't take from you!" Kreet said. "We should be paying you!"

"Nonsense. This isn't payment. It's advertisement!"

"What's that?" Kallid asked, but still admiring Sigmundurr.

"I want you to share this tea with anyone else you meet. If you look inside, you'll see I've put them inside little bags, and I wrote my name on each and every one of them! Then if somebody likes it enough, he'll come find me and buy more!"

"Oh! I see!" Kallid said sincerely. "Do you sell a lot of tea?"

"Not a lot. Not yet," said Sir Bart, and patted the kobold's head. "But I hope to, with your help! I'm growing my biggest crop out back now, but I need customers. So you just share that tea with anyone who might want it, and who knows?"

"So," Eilistraee interrupted as the others donned their packs, "The old knight becomes a merchant?"

He just shrugged. "About time I do something with this stuff. Besides, my daughter in law deserves something for all the help she does me, and I've not got much to give her when I'm gone. She's a real pain in the ass sometimes, but she cares..."

Suddenly the old man drifted off for a moment, his eyes growing shiny. "She does care," he concluded.

"Well, we're ready to go," Sigmundurr said. "Good luck old man, and thanks for the hospitality."

"The pleasure was all mine. A good trip to you all!"

And with that, they all began back towards the road.

"Nice man," Kallid said as he once again struggled to keep pace.

"Very nice," Kreet agreed.

They turned back onto the road and started the last leg of their trip to the village. An hour later, Sigmundurr stopped unexpectedly.

"What is it, Sig?" Kreet asked.

"She's gone." he said, a clearly sad note in his voice.

"Who?" Kalled asked, catching up.

"Eilistraee," Sigmundurr said, looking back at the way they'd come.

Suddenly Kreet's eyes went wide. Eilistraee! How had she forgotten the goddess so soon? By the look on Kallid's face, he was going through the same thoughts.

"Don't feel bad, Kreet. I'd forgotten her too for a moment. But only for a moment. I think she did that on purpose, so she could leave without a long goodbye."

"Probably," Kreet agreed.

Sigmundurr looked up at the moon and smiled. Had he seen something there? But instantly he turned back to Kallid.

"Look, little man, I've not gotten any real exercise for days and I'm getting flabby. My legs are great but I need to carry more than this little pack. Would you mind riding on my shoulders for a while?"

Kallid's look brightened considerably and in a moment he was happily riding astride Sigmundurr's shoulders. Kreet couldn't deny that they were making better time too.

"So... what was it like?" Kallid was asking Sigmundurr. "I mean, an actual goddess!"

"Oh, it was like nothing you could imagine, little man. She was as light as a feather and as solid as a rock when you wanted her to be! But... it's not all it's cracked up to be."

"No? I would have thought..." Kallid started, but Kreet shot him a look.

"What?" Kallid asked her.

"I'm married to you for one day... Pregnant with your damn babies no less, and you're already asking about other girls!?!"

"But, Kreet... A goddess."

"Hmpf. Seems to me you should be more interested in scales than in dark skin and hair anyway."

"Kreet, don't be like that! Aren't you even curious?"

"Not in the least," she lied, and convincingly so.

"Five minutes at best," Sigmundurr said, interrupting the two.

"What?"

"Kallid, it lasted 5 minutes and I was done. Kaput. Finished."

"Is... Is that supposed to be short?"

"Yes Kallid. I used to be able to go for hours on end! Why? Is that not..."

Kreet saw her chance and she took it. "5 minutes would be like a love marathon."

Kalled looked hurt, but didn't argue. "Yeah..." he admitted. "I don't last very long. Still, that must have been some 5 minutes?"

"Best 5 minutes of my life," Sigmundurr said wistfully and his gaze strayed to the moon yet again. "Miss you already Eil!"

"Sorry Kallid," Kreet said. "I'm sorry. I was being hurtful. I shouldn't do that."

"Hurtful? How?"

"About the whole... you know. Lovemaking thing. You're fine. Best I ever had, I can honestly say. And I expect that's probably about normal for us anyway."

"You say that because I'm the only one you've ever had."

"Doesn't make it less true!"

Kallid considered this as he bounced down the road atop Sigmundurr's shoulders. "I guess you're right!" he decided.

"Say," Sigmundurr said. "Aren't there any kobold gods or goddesses? I never thought about it before, but all the major races have their own.

"There's Kurtulmak," Kreet said, now on familiar ground. She's studied a lot about gods and goddesses at the monastery. It wasn't just a class or two, it was a whole school of study!

"Kurtlemak?" Kallid asked.

"There, see? Exactly. We don't really go in for god worship much. Now I could talk about dragon worship. That's a thing. But gods... we tend to just try to stay out of their way mostly."

"I see," Sigmundurr said. "Too bad. You should get yourself a nice female kobold goddess."

"Got one!" Kallid replied and Kreet eyed him, trying her best not to smile.

"Flattery. You're going to have to do better than that, Kallid," she said, not letting go of the meager scrap of jealousy she still retained.

They continued down the trail until the lights of a small town were seen in the distance. Kreet estimated it should be around midnight, so the tavern should be just getting boisterous about now.

"That must be the place," Kallid said.

Sigmundurr replied, looking up at his rider, "Yup. The old man says it's 'Tula'."

"'Tula'? Never heard of it," Kreet said, looking up at the man beside her. "You?"

He shook his head. "Never. But we should be able to get our bearings once there. Somebody's got to have been to a bigger city I've heard of!" "Which reminds me... Kallid, how's your vision doing? It's not going to be dark inside there in the morning."

"Oh, I think I'm ready for it. I went out this morning in full daylight to pee and it was okay in the shade. Well, with my sunglasses on at least."

Kreet nodded. "I'm getting used to it again too. I think we'll do okay Sig. I don't really even need my sunglasses anymore except in full daylight, and I've always needed it for that."

"Well good. But a word of warning. These people aren't going to be used to kobolds strolling in out of the dark. Stay close to me until we can see what we're dealing with, okay?"

Both the kobolds agreed as they passed into the village proper.


	16. Consequences (Kreet 48)

In the end, gold talked and the three retired to their room in the small tavern. They were eyed by some of the few locals, but they didn't care. Sigmundurr was uncharacteristically quiet as they settled in.

"Do you think she's forgotten me already?" he asked in the darkness.

"Sig, do you think she's done that with lots of men? Of course she hasn't forgotten you!"

"She said it was just her avatar. Hell she could be doing it with thousands of men with thousands of avatars for all we know."

"Somehow I doubt that Sig," Kreet said. "And you doubt it too. But you're a brave man to make love to a goddess I must admit."

A long time passed before Sigmundurr spoke again.

"She didn't exactly put up a fight."

Kreet sat up. "Are you going to be okay Sig?"

The big man turned to her. To his eyes, she must have been only a pair of luminous eyes in the darkness of the room, but she saw him perfectly. He looked worn out. Then she realized his eyes were wet.

"Sig?"

"Kreet, you know I don't control myself well. I think... I fell in love with her."

Kreet hopped over to the bed and sat beside the big man. "Sorry Sig. She warned us about this though. What did you expect if you make love to a goddess?"

"I didn't think it would feel like this though," he said. "I want to go back to the Underdark, Kreet. She might still be there."

"Sig! No. Think of your genitalia! Besides, she said she'd meet us again before my children are born."

Sigmundurr turned to Kreet with a weak smile. In different circumstances it would be funny to see the big man lovelorn like this - but as with everything he did, he did it to excess. She worried about him.

"That's right," he said, brightening up . "She did say that! Oh, go on back to Kallid. I'm okay. How long does it take for you to pop out your eggs?"

"Now Sig, be nice," she said, glad he was already in a better mood. "And from what I've read, about six months."

"Six months," he said as she lay down beside Kallid again. "And it could be anytime before then."

Kallid whispered to Kreet in kobold, "Um... Kreet. You know that sleep-casting thing you did?"

"Yes?"

Kallid nodded towards Sigmundurr. "He could use it."

Kreet smiled back at her husband and nodded.

A minute later Sigmundurr was snoring away beside them.

"So, what next?" Kallid asked.

"Next we see if we can figure out where we are. Maybe we can find a map or something. She said Sigmundurr will know the area at least. We'll talk to the tavern-master in the morning and see what he knows. Then we need to find the nearest city - one with a church of Pelor. That's the best chance I have for finding someone who would know where my monastery is."

"Oh! That sounds like a good idea!"

"You still glad you came Outside with me?"

Kallid looked hurt. "Do you need to ask?"

Kreet felt his hands begin to stroke her back. She turned on her stomach and Kallid began to massage her shoulders while sitting on her back.

"I hate to interrupt," came a familiar voice from behind them.

"Eilistraee!?" Kreet said, rolling Kallid off her back.

"Sorry Kreet. I have some unfinished business," said the goddess. "Is it bad?"

Kreet cocked her head to one side. "Is what bad?"

"Him. He made love to me. That's not going to be an easy thing for a mortal to forget."

"Oh, that. Yeah, it's pretty bad. He's already talking about seeing you again before my kids are born," she said with a sigh.

"'Our kids'," Kallid reminded her.

"Sorry, our kids."

"Would you mind doing me a favor Kreet?" asked the goddess.

Kreet scrunched up her snout. "You're kidding, right? Of course."

Eilistraee sat beside the two kobolds and produced a small vial.

"Can you put a drop of this in his drink - whatever he's drinking, once a day till it's empty? It'll help. It's a mild forgetfulness potion specifically keyed to me. He won't forget me, but it should take the edge off while he gets over it. I shouldn't have allowed that to happen."

"You really shouldn't have."

"I'm pregnant."

"What?!" Kallid and Kreet squeaked simultaneously.

"Oh yes. You don't mate with a goddess unsuccessfully you know. No it's practically a guarantee. You end up with all these damn Heroes and Demigods running around, and all the gods and goddesses fighting for their offspring. It's what most of our time is spent on these days."

"Have you got other children?" Kallid asked, fascinated.

"Oh sure. Well, none currently living but I've had... well. Lots. Looks like Sig's whelp will be a Hero. Female hero. That should be nice."

"Are you going to tell him?" Kallid asked, and Kreet noticed a less-than-reverent tone in his voice.

Eilistraee sighed. "I don't want to."

Kallid stood up. "Now look. I don't know anything about gods and goddesses, but I know something about right and wrong. It's not right not to let him know."

The dark lady looked to Sigmundurr as he snored away.

"I suppose you're right. He'll want to help me raise her too. But if I don't tell him, the Fates will intervene in some way - some way I'll regret. She'd probably end up killing him accidentally or something. They love doing stuff like that to gods."

"So, you'll tell him then?"

"I suppose I have to. I'm setting up a place where we can live together already. Keep him busy till I can get it worked out, okay? And give him that potion. He'll need it till I get back."

"When will that be?" Kreet asked and the silver-hair parted as she turned back.

"Before your twins come. You know us gods, we have to have our little mysteries."

"When will you tell him?" Kallid asked, not letting it go. "If you don't, I will."

"Persistent little man, aren't you? Okay, okay. I guess one more visit won't kill him. Um... Use two drops of that potion tomorrow," she said.

She stood and crossed to the bed and lay beside the big man. At her touch, he woke, but she silenced him with a kiss. Then she took his hand and he walked with her towards the window. They faded before they got to the wall.

"Looks like everybody's getting pregnant these days." Kreet laughed as she rolled over on top of Kallid. "Come on, mate. Let's bump again. You can't get me any more pregnant."

In the depths of the night, Kreet awoke to see Sigmundurr and Eilistraee return and sleep together in the bed. But when the morning came Eilistraee was gone again. Sigmundurr, however, was in high spirits.


	17. Levels (Kreet 49)

It was nearing midday when Sigmundurr woke the kobolds.

"Come on, wake up. The taverner says we need to get out. I have a good idea where we are now. There's another town a few miles north and beyond that is the city of Fandain. I've been there before. It's a little rough but they have a Cathedral of Pelor there. Quite impressive, though of course I never went in."

Kreet moaned, but roused herself, then looked at Kallid.

"What's the weather like today, Sig?"

"Oh, cloudy, but it doesn't look like rain anyway," Sig said, then looked to Kallid too. "Oh yeah."

"I'll be okay, I think," Kallid said hesitantly.

"If you start getting a headache, let us know Kallid," Kreet said. She rummaged through her pack before pulling out the contraptions she called sun-glasses. She began strapping Kallid's around his head.

"I packed some travelling food too," Sigmundurr said, patting his pack. "But we'd better get moving. The owner isn't very fond of kobolds ."

In a few minutes they were ready to go, but Sigmundurr stopped them in the hallway.

"What?" Kallid asked.

"Just wait here a second, I've got to do something. I'll be right back," the big man said, but Kreet noticed the huge, incongruous smile on his face. She didn't like the look of it, but he just went back into their room, closing the door behind him.

Kallid looked at Kreet, but she could only shrug.

The door opened once more and Sigmundurr emerged with a huge grin on his face.

"What?" Kreet demanded this time, but a second later the smell hit her snout.

"Oh god! Sig! Did you...."

"Come on, we best get out of here," he laughed, and they followed him quickly down the stairs and out into the street.

"Now come on you two. We need to make some time!"

The town was a small one, and in a quarter of an hour they were out of sight of it completely.

"Are you going to explain that now?" Kreet asked, holding Kallid's hand.

"Oh, the owner made some comment about cleaning up after my pets."

Kallid understood first. "Sig! Now he's going to think we shat in his room!"

"Oh no he won't. There's no way what I left in there could have come out of either of you! Even a thick headed man like that guy would recognize that. HA!"

"Sig!" Kreet started to complain, but then she started giggling. It became infectious.

"Still," she managed a few minutes later, "I'm supposed to be sowing accord between the dark and light races. He'll not have another kobold in there anytime soon. You shouldn't have done that."

"Sorry Kreet," he said.

The day was blessedly overcast for another hour and relatively cool, but as the afternoon wore on the sun came out from behind the clouds more and more often.

"Sig," Kreet said after she noticed Kallid was looking nauseous.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we'd better stop. For breakfast."

Sigmundurr suggested some rocks to their right.

"Um... How about those woods up there?" she countered.

"There? That must be a half mile off the road."

"Sig. It's darker in there."

Sigmundurr finally got it. Kallid began to moan.

By the time they'd got to the edge of the woods, he'd confessed that he wasn't feeling well.

They made a small camp in the deepest shade they could find. Sigmundur set up a blanket as a sort of makeshift cave that they set Kallid in, with another on the ground.

Kreet stroked his tail while the afternoon wore on, and Sigmundurr passed around some food, but Kallid wasn't eating. Finally Kreet wove a sleep spell over him.

"Poor guy," Sigmundurr said as Kreet brought back two cups of water to where Sig sat a few feet away. "What's this?"

"Oh, I thought you might be thirsty," Kreet said, setting Sigmundurr's cup beside him.

Apparently Eilistraee's potion was flavorless as Sig drank it without noticing.

"I guess he's still not ready for full daylight walks yet."

"It's not easy for him," Kreet said, taking up a seat beside the big man and removing her own sunglasses. "It took me years to get used to direct sunlight, even with these."

"I suppose we need to travel at night then. Beasts are more common. It'll be more dangerous."

"I know. But we can see fine. We'll warn you if we see anything. He can't keep going like this."

"Tough little guy though. He really likes you."

"Enough to marry me," Kreet agreed. "I guess we should try to take a nap and get moving again at nightfall."

"Okay, but you need to stop casting those damn sleep spells on me. I'll be alright."

"Actually Sig," Kreet said, looking up. "I need to meditate for a while. Mind watching over us for a bit?"

She rose and returned to where Kallid lay. She was glad to see him sleeping peacefully, even if it had required a little divine power. And that was the reason she needed to meditate. Not only to restore her own powers, but she'd also recognized that she had been raised to a higher level. She had to meditate and consider her new abilities before she could use them.

She sat in the prescribed position and closed her eyes, praying to the great Pelor for power, guidance and wisdom to choose the correct path. While her physical position didn't really matter, it was how she was taught to focus her thoughts in the proper way. The cantrips would always be there. Though they may not be as strong as the actual spells, they were still useful. She knew that she could now cast more of the spells she had always known since the monastery, but it took longer to feel the new spells that were open to her.

She thought of the light of Pelor. She'd learned that Pelor's light was not the sun's light - though sun-dwellers like Sigmundurr might equate the two. Pelor's light was more subtle than that. It shone to reveal truth where lies dwelt, not mere darkness. It brought good where there was evil. It brought comfort where there was pain. The sun's light was not itself good, any more than the night's darkness was evil. Her master had taught her that. She wondered where he was. If he even still lived. Light was a useful tool, but it was not the same as Pelor's light.

And then she felt the paths she could travel down, but she could choose only two, so she had to choose wisely. She would likely only be travelling on the surface world, so some seemed more useful here than others. Also she was no Adventurer. She wouldn't be seeking trouble, so those that would help against the Undead seemed unlikely to be helpful. Other paths could strengthen her, or her companions in various ways. Increasing their defense could prove helpful - though she knew if it came to violence, it was Sigmundurr that would be their protection.

She chose the first. Prayer of Healing. It felt exactly right. She was - or at least wanted to be - a healer above all else. It wasn't a glamorous ambition, but it was what she wanted. She chose that path when she recognized it without hesitation.

Only one more, though, and there were so many situations possible that she might need one she didn't choose. She thought back to all the times the Guiding Bolt had saved her or her friends. It was a spell of aggression, but it had been so helpful. In different circumstances where violence was less likely, such spells shouldn't be necessary. But she had to travel through this world, and this world was dangerous. She was weak. Kallid was weaker, and Sigmundurr was not a wise man, even if he was strong.

Then she saw her choice. Hold Person. If used against an enemy, it might give Sig more time. But it's real attraction was that it could also be used on a friend, to stop them from making a rash decision. She could have used that not so long ago!

She'd made her choices, wise or not. She thought about what she'd done at Eilistraee's gate. She had almost doomed SIgmundurr to a lifetime of eunuch servitude, and herself to a quick beheading. Had it been the wisest decision? Certainly Sig and Kallid hadn't thought so.

She thought back to her old mentor, Ka'Plo. Everything had been so simple then. How had she become this person. She didn't want this responsibility. She'd never asked for it. But it had been thrust upon her whether she liked it or not. She could only do the best she could. And now she had two more lives to think about beyond Kallid and Sigmundurr. She had a responsibility to her unborn children as well.

Did she really need to risk all their lives just to find her old home? A home she'd been cast out of for daring to fall in love with a human. A home where her days were spent catering to loud drunken men and women who were more a danger to themselves than anyone else? Would it be wrong of her to settle down with Kallid and live a tranquil domestic life in some obscure cavern?

Then she remembered her family. They had not lived anything like a tranquil domestic life. In a flash, she realized such a thing didn't exist. She was already older than every kobold she had known when she was a child.

She'd grown breasts, meager though they were, that even the great Ka'Plo hadn't foreseen - because he'd never met a kobold that had survived as long as she had. She'd read about that years after he had died, and it had come as a shock that there was something he'd been wrong about. She now stood at least four feet tall and was still growing, because she now had a varied and quality diet.

No, she wasn't destined for a quiet life with Kallid, much as she might wish for it.

She opened her eyes to fading sunlight and the first stars through the trees above. Kallid was still sleeping. As was Sigmundurr. She smiled at that, though she should have been upset. Instead she lay beside her husband and held him to herself, feeling him wake and embrace her in return.

"We should be going," she whispered.


	18. Gearing Up (Kreet 50)

It wasn't long before they reached the village of Pani. In that time they'd heard some wolves in the distance and had passed a few farmer's houses, but no danger had presented itself. It was still early.

"Hey Sig, let's stop at a shop. We need to get some better travelling clothes, and something tells me you could do with a better weapon than that Drow blade too."

Sigmundurr nodded and they soon found themselves in a small store.

"Hey! Get them out of here!" the owner called from behind his counter when he saw the kobolds.

Sigmundurr's brow furrowed, but Kreet touched his arm before he could speak. Then she smiled, turning back to the shopkeeper and shook the little bag she kept a few gold coins in. "Sorry sir, I guess our gold isn't good enough for you?"

"Pah. Probably a bunch of iron slugs," he scoffed, but as she turned back to the door, his tone changed. "Real gold you say?"

She pulled one out and hopped to the counter and plinked one onto the top.

"Pretty sure it's real," she said, offering her best 'I'm-a-Dumb-Kobold-But-I-Found-These-Shinies' look.

The shopkeeper looked to Sigmundurr, who nodded. He then pulled out a small bottle and put a drop of something onto the coin. The drop sat motionless with no reaction. His eyebrows raised.

"Well, well. It seems you've had a bit of luck, little lizard. Go ahead. We're a small shop, but you're welcome to see if there's anything you might like. Afraid we've got nothing made for a tail, but some of the dwarvish equipment might interest you. It's down on the right. Take your time."

Sigmundurr growled but went to look at the armor.

"So let's find something for you first, Kallid," she said, taking him by the hand. She looked him up and down.

"Sure, but nothing too heavy. We both know I'm not a fighter," he said, wiggling his arms.

"Maybe something in leather. Here - how about this?" she said, pulling down a skirt of sorts made with strips of studded leather.

It took a good hour for them to complete their purchases and another half hour to haggle the price down to what both Sigmundurr and Kreet considered to be reasonable. Sigmundurr had found himself a chain-mail shirt, a light helm and some studded leather pants.

For herself, Kreet had originally wanted only a faded yellowish robe which reminded her of her old robe from the Monastery, but both Kallid and Sigmundurr insisted she add some armor over the top. She ended up satisfied with a belt with side-plates to cover her flanks as well as light steel shoulder plates with a fringe of loose chain that draped over her back and chest.

When she looked in the mirror and saw how the fringe accentuated her breasts by falling away to the sides, she nearly put it back - but it was the only such armor that fit her and the men insisted she needed more than just a robe. It wasn't that she didn't like the look. It was that she liked it too well. Pride was something she'd always been taught to avoid.

As for weaponry, she did allow Sigmundurr to splurge here, and splurge he had. Upon emerging from the shop, he now wore a fine steel bastard sword - the best weapon in the shop - as well as a quite wicked-looking hammer belted around his ample waist. Kreet had suggested a shield of some sort, but he explained to her that defense was not his specialty, and it would have been wasted. 

Kallid admitted that he had no training in such things, but he did happily accept a stout walking stick that held a hefty metal ball at the thick end that could be wielded as a club in a pinch.

Kreet would accept no edged weapon, but she did end up with a small bronze mace. But what she really loved was a pendant she'd found buried near the back of the store with the accepted Sign of Pelor - a stylized yellow image of the sun that was not far from the badge she'd gotten when she was made an Acolyte years ago. She wore it proudly over the top of her shoulder armor, and if it too called attention to her breasts, she didn't care. She left the shop feeling much more like a true Cleric of Pelor.

"Now we need to decide what we're going to do next," Kreet said as they admired each other on the street outside. "It's too early to stop here, but it will take at least three full nights of walking to get to the city, right Sig?"

"We could ride," Sigmundurr suggested.

Kreet hadn't considered that as a possibility, but she saw its potential immediately. 

"Horses aren't cheap," Kallid spoke up, and they both turned to him unexpectedly.

"What do you know about horses?" Sigmundurr asked. "Do they have them in the Underdark?"

"Not many. But they have rangers that use them to scout Outside. I used to clean out the stables. They also hate kobolds."

"All of them?"

Kallid shrugged. "Who knows. But we weren't allowed to go near them."

"Could be exceptions. And it's not like horses up here would have experience with kobolds," Sigmundurr suggested.

Kreet sighed. It was becoming clear that her gold was not going to last. 

"Well, avarice is a sin," she said. "Let's go see if we can find some horses."

It was getting close to midnight when they finally left the stables. Surprisingly they'd found a good number of ponies that didn't seem to mind the kobolds at all. The horses, though, were another matter. Yet if they were going to ride, Sigmundurr would need a horse - and a big one at that. 

They'd finally settled on a horse that didn't skitter too much when the kobolds came near, so long as they didn't touch her. As for Kreet and Kallid's ponies, Kallid chose a black one with exceptional white stripes across its flanks, while Kreet's was dark brown and nondescript. They'd settled on a price for all three, but it caused Kreet's remaining gold to dwindle to less than a hundred. She now could carry it herself.

"Well, what's gold for if not to be spent?" Sigmundurr said, trying to assure her. "There are some who say kobolds have a bit of dragon blood in them, you know. Maybe you'd like to hoard your gold?"

Kallid laughed at that as they trotted out of town. "Dragon blood? Yeah, I've heard such tales. Mostly from other kobolds."

"From what I've read," Kreet added, "it's not true. But there are some stories about dragons keeping kobolds as slaves. Willing slaves."

"It does seem like your kind find themselves as slaves a lot," Sigmundurr said while struggling to keep his horse from getting too far from the kobolds.

"Racial self-hatred," Kreet frowned. "It's our greatest weakness. Too many of us accept that fate as the natural consequence of being small and weak. And we are small and weak, mostly. But we have brains. We're good with our hands. There are also stories of powerful kobold clans. They're inevitably written by hostile story-tellers, but I bet there are groups of us out there that know we are more than slaves and cannon-fodder."

Kallid spoke up then. "Some of us yearn for more. But too many are content with the yoke and the promise of steady food. I was like that for a long time. But even before I met you I started imagining what it would be like to have children. I realized I had nothing to offer them though. Not as long as I was a Drow slave. That's what got me thinking of leaving. I don't want to die without leaving something behind."

Kreet looked at him. "When we stop, Kallid, let me train you. And let your claws grow out. You should learn how to fight."

Kallid looked down at himself. "Me? I'm sorry, but your husband is... not a fighter."

"Kallid, I took you when I was drunk - you know that. But there were lots of other kobolds in that bar I could have jumped on. You may not be a fighter, but I saw something in you I liked. I still do. You're a great lover. Let's see what kind of a fighter I might be able to make of you too."

"It's a good idea," Sigmundurr said. "You need to be able to defend yourself out here. Hell, learn so you can defend your children if not yourself."

Kreet was surprised and turned back to Sigmundurr. 

"Sorry, don't look at me. I'd suck at training somebody. I'd get worked up and knock his head off. This one's on you."

"Besides, I don't think I'm the sword-fighting type."

"No, you're not. I learned that a long time ago. But we've got some good natural weapons, and a stout stick can do a lot - trust me! I got banged up pretty good by sticks before I learned my own ways. Yours may be different from mine, but I can help you find your way."

"And now," Kallid said into the pause. "I think it's time to name our horses! I'm going to name mine Flash!" With that he leaned over and patted the black pony's neck.

"The horse dealer had names for them already," she said, but realized he was right. They needed new names.

Sigmundurr came up with a singularly vulgar and quite gender-specific name for his mare.

"Sig, you can't name your horse that!" Kreet protested.

"Why not? She's mine. I can name her anything I want!"

"Sig! I can't even say that in public!"

"Don't have to. She's my horse and her name is..."

Kreet closed her eyes tight and pretended to cover her non-existent ears.

"Okay, I'll call her 'Sigmundurr's horse' then."

Kallid started laughing, but asked Kreet what she'd name her horse.

"Let me think about it. These things take time to do right. Otherwise you end up with Sig's stupid name."

Sigmundurr joined in the laughter, then gave his horse a kick and she began to gallop away.

"Giddyup ____!"

"Come on Kreet," Kallid laughed as he spurred his pony to catch up. "Giddyup Flash!"

She looked back to her horse, and his name came to her.

"Giddyup Brand!" she called, and they were off.


	19. The City (Kreet 51)

Weeks later the three were plodding down a road towards the capital city of the realm, the Royal City. Fandain had proven less than helpful in Kreet's quest to find her home, but she had gained a writ of admission from the head priest to see the Bishop and - if successful - to access the Pelor Archives where she might find something.

The horse and ponies were nice, she had to admit as the night wore on, but they had proven to be expensive to keep and the gold that had once seemed so limitless was now clearly not going to last. She looked back at Kallid. As usual he was staring at her backside with his eyes still that pale blue. Hopelessly in love with her still. Well, there were worse things than to have your husband be in love with you.

And then there was Sigmundurr. He did try to put on a brave face, but it was clear that he was hurting. She'd even suggested he take some of their limited gold and spend it on a night on the town. The old Sig would have jumped at that, but now he was constantly pining for his lost love, and the vial that Eilistraee had given her was running low. He was certainly friendly enough to the two kobolds, but she knew that he would have been long gone had it not been for the goddess' promise.

Something had to change, and soon. Not for the last time she considered why she was even chasing this dream of returning to a former life. What would she find if she ever got back anyway?

And, of course, there was the undeniable heaviness growing in her womb. A ticking time-bomb limiting her options. Already she had begun to imagine their faces, bright and scaled and looking up to her... needing her. They would need a home too. Kobold gestation wasn't a subject she had studied, but she knew it wasn't anywhere near as long as a human's. How long could she keep this up before she'd feel the need to nest? Or was she already feeling it?

But then they topped a ridge and looked down at a city. A real city. Sigmundurr stopped his horse and the two ponies pulled up beside him.

Below stretched the great central valley of the realm, and it looked as if it was filled with twinkling firelight from rim to rim. While it was still miles distant, the darkness that was surely the border wall was vast, ringing a glowing myriad of buildings the likes of which Kreet had never imagined. Surely even the Underdark paled in comparison to this unbelievably huge concentration of humans. Sigmundurr laughed at her expression, mirrored by Kallid. She shut her mouth with a pop.

"Ever been to a real city, Kreet?" Kallid asked while not taking his eyes off the spectacle below.

"No," she said honestly. "I've never even seen anything like that before!"

"Let's pitch camp for the night," Sigmundurr suggested. "I know it's early, but it's going to be a bitch to get you two into the city tomorrow anyway - let alone trying to do it at night. Kallid, you ready to try a day in full sunlight?"

The little kobold nodded. "I'll be okay, with my goggles on."

Kreet followed Sigmundurr off the road and into a copse of trees nearby. The night was clear and not overly cool, so they just laid out their bedrolls without a fire and hitched their mounts to a nearby tree.

"Sig," Kreet said once they'd settled down. "The gold is running low."

"Figured," he said while staring at the moon through the trees. "Never lasts. Doesn''t matter how much you have. Plus the inns are going to be more expensive in the city."

"I don't think we can afford to stay at an inn. At least not for very long. Sig... I think our journey ends here."

Sigmundurr turned to her at that, as did Kallid.

"I thought you wanted to find your home?" Kallid said, looking worried.

She smiled and reached out for his hand. 

"I am home, Kally."

Sigmundurr turned away from the two, back to his contemplation of the moon overhead.

A few minutes later he spoke again while Kallid had moved his bedroll beside Kreet's.

"Is it the money?" Sig asked. "Because if so, in a place like the capitol we can find jobs or something. Save up to carry on further. Hell we could sell the horses for that matter."

"We'll need to anyway I think," Kreet replied, but Sigmundurr noticed her hand resting on her lower belly, with Kallid's on top and their fingers entwined.

"Oh. I get it. So, that's it? You're just going to settle down and raise a litter?"

"A clutch, Sig," Kallid spoke up defensively. "We call it a clutch."

"Or a family," Kreet added with a smile for Kallid. She looked into the eyes of her husband. "But yeah. I think that's it."

"In a human city? Kreet, I don't think you understand how people are going to treat you here. How humans in a city like this are going to think of you. Kreet, I don't know of a better way to put this. In a human city, you aren't going to be thought of like a lower class citizen. You're not even going to be considered a slave. Here, you are an actual monster. A thing to scare their children with. I'm not kidding Kreet, there will be people here that have never seen a kobold in their lives."

"So what do you advise?" Kreet said, anger flashing in her eyes. She knew it was the anger of frustration and fear, but she couldn't help it. "You want me to just ignore my children? Or maybe we should just find a nice cave somewhere and live there?"

Sigmundurr was taken aback. She had not shouted at him like this for a long time.

"Sig, I'm sorry. But I'm at my wit's end here. Our money is running out, I've got two eggs growing in me, so far I've found nothing about my old home at all, and even if I did I don't know why the hell I'm even trying to go back there. I've got to stop!"

"Okay, okay! Look, you know I'm with you till Eilistraee returns. And who knows what may happen in the city. Don't worry about it Kreet. We'll find a place."

Kreet began to cry. It wasn't like her to cry and she hated herself for it. But she couldn't help it. 

"Sorry guys, probably some motherhood emotional thing," she confessed, and felt Kallid's hands begin to stroke her back.

"Probably," Sigmundurr said. "Look, starting tomorrow I'll be the leader, okay? You two just follow me. Let me take care of things."

Kreet's eyes began to water more before she burst out in another flood of tears.

"And my boobs hurt!"

*************************

In the morning, Kallid donned his goggles, but Kreet insisted on not wearing her own. She no longer needed them even in full daylight.

"Trust me, Sig, I read about it. They work just like humans' do if we have enough food. We nurse after hatching if we can. I didn't when I was a kid. I was raised on mushroom soup and venison. But only because we were malnourished in the caves and our breasts don't grow there. But out here where food is easy to come by... yeah. Kobold milk is a thing."

"Okay, okay. Look, I've never met kobolds that live outside before okay? I just assumed... eggs, reptiles - no breasts."

"It's like Eilistraee said," Kreet continued, "we were never meant to live underground. We were meant to live up here, with your kind. You get the day, we get the night. But somewhere all that went wrong."

"I get it," Sigmundurr relented as he put his gear back on his horse.

"As for you," Kreet said, turning back to where Kallid sat hunched over something.

"Me?" Kallid squeaked.

"Yes, you. Now look, I get it that they're fascinating to you. Kobold boobs aren't something you see every day. And yeah, I do like your attention to them. But please, stop grabbing them okay? It's like me grabbing your crotch all the time. Let me breathe a little!."

"I wasn't groping you," Kallid smiled curiously.

"No?"

"Well, maybe a little. But mostly I was measuring you."

"Measuring me? For what?"

Kallid stood and proudly held out what she immediately recognized.

"Oh Kallid! Is that what I think it is?!"

"A bra," he said, hopping over to her and handing it to her. "I've been working on it all morning. Dark elves wear them. And human women too - I saw some in the shop. They hold them still and keep them from bouncing."

"I know what a bra is, silly," Kreet complained, but took the garment and examined it closely.

"See, I sewed in a little bit of rope in that part to help it keep its shape. And this part is adjustable so you can raise or lower them just like the real thing. But it's Kreet-sized!"

Kreet smiled. No, she beamed and hugged Kallid tightly.

"Oh Kallid, this is just the best thing I've ever been given! Here, help me get it on."

She took her shirt off and pulled the contraption around herself, letting Kallid adjust it till it felt secure. She jumped up and down a little.

"So, how does it feel?" Kallid asked, apprehensively.

"Kally, it feels awesome. Almost like I don't have them, but for their weight. This should make riding on Brand a lot easier too."

Suddenly she remembered Sigmundurr. He was watching with interest.

"Hey! You didn't look did you?"

"What, and miss the rare sight of kobold boobs? Hell yes I did. You'd better keep those in mind too. They might be lizard boobs, but now that you're packing some melons you'd better stop flashing them."

"I do not flash my boobs!"

"Do too. I got a peek at them under your robe just yesterday."

"Well damn it, stop looking! Besides, now that I have a bra, I won't have to worry about it."

"Eh... some guys like seeing bras too."

"Some guys like anything," Kreet declared. "Okay, let's get going and let me test these things out!"

The morning was well underway when they arrived at the main eastern gate of the city and Kreet was truly happy again for the first time in a long time. The bra worked beautifully and Kallid promised to make her more. Kreet felt hope.

Until they arrived at the gate and dismounted to approach the city watch guards. As they neared it, two of the guards drew their swords and Sigmunder's hand reached alarmingly for his own.


	20. The Shining Skink (Kreet 52)

Kreet sighed, "Sig, are you trying to get us expelled from the city before we get in? Get your hand off your sword."

However, she was also casting her own modification of the Hold Person spell. Over the years Kreet had learned how to modify spells from their original effects. It was a talent of her race that she had learned over the years, and not so different from Kallid's recently demonstrated ability to see a human bra and adapt it to that which she now wore. Her kind were good at grasping a concept quickly and modifying it to their own needs.

Sigmundurr's sword had suddenly seemed to turn to solid lead in his hand, though in reality it was the Hold spell, reduced and concentrated only on his sword arm. He dropped it back into place.

However, her speech had another effect. The guards stopped and looked at her as if she'd cast Hold Person on them as well.

"What the hell? Did that kobold just talk?!"

Kreet turned to the city guardsman, but before she could reply Kallid stepped in front of her.

"Of course she can talk. Do you think a Cleric of Pelor wouldn't be capable of speech?"

The guards looked at each other and started to laugh.

"Well don't that beat all? Talking kobolds. And this one playing at being a Cleric! Oh, that's rich! Are you taking them to the comedy at the theater?"

"Um... sure. That's right. They're for the... comedy," Sigmundurr replied hesitantly, but Kreet cut him short.

"We certainly are not! We are here to see the Bishop. Here. This was given me by the High Priest of Pelor at Fandain," she said, proffering her writ like a paper shield and mustering up all the indignant righteousness she could manage.

One of the guards squinted at the paper and turned back to the other.

"Looks official. But I don't know. Letting kobolds in? I mean, talking or not, they're still fucking kobolds."

"You'd better go get the captain," the first said, then turned back to the trio. "As for you, you stay right here."

Kreet put the paper back in her pack. "We certainly will."

In fact, they ended up sitting in the shade of the city wall for an hour before the first guard returned with another man dressed in civilian clothes.

"Okay, now what's all this then?" he said officiously, despite his clothes. "What's this I hear about talking kobolds and why did you interrupt my breakfast?"

The other guard pointed to where Kreet, Kallid and Sigmunder were rising from beside the wall.

"Oh. So what's this then. Why are you trying to bring these kobolds inside my city?" he demanded from Sigmundurr.

Kreet answered, "I am here to see the Bishop of Pelor. I have a writ from the High Priest at Fandain if you want to see it."

The man jumped back at least two feet.

"Fuck me!"

"Holy shit. She does talk!"

Kreet rolled her eyes again. "Of course I talk. Now are you going to let us in or not?"

"I'm sorry. Give me a second. When they said you talked, I just thought you managed a word or two. Please understand, I've never heard of a talking kobold, okay?"

"Well now you have. I gather you're the captain of the city guard. I also gather the Bishop is a somewhat powerful person in your city. I don't think he'd much appreciate you delaying one of his people."

The man straightened up and donned a more serious look. "You understand, it's our job to keep out anyone or anything that might be a danger to our citizens. We wouldn't be doing our duty if we just let some random kobolds in, now would we? It's only right that we first be sure!"

Kallid interrupted, "So, you're saying a Cleric of Pelor is a danger?"

"Well, no. But... Look, you can't just go wandering around the city. You'd have more guards called out as soon as someone sees you anyway."

Kreet sighed again. She didn't like it, but she had a pretty good idea what might work.

"Okay, how about this. We'll tie ropes around our necks and Sigmundurr here can lead us in. The locals will just see two kobolds in bondage and will know we're no threat. Would that work?"

The captain considered it for a minute. "That's not a bad idea. And you won't say anything bad about us to the Bishop?"

"It's my idea," she said. "No problem."

"Okay. But you two have to remove your armor. Right? Slaves can't go around wearing armor."

Kreet was already pulling off her chainmail. It felt better already to be free of the cumbersome weight.

"Whoa!" the guard behind the captain exclaimed.

"What?" Kreet scowled.

"Sorry, you just... you look different from the kobold's I've seen."

"And how many kobolds have you seen, guardsman?" she said, smiling inwardly.

The captain shot his underling a glare and the man closed his mouth.

Meanwhile Sigmundurr took a rope and wrapped it loosely around Kreet's neck, handing her the end, and then did the same around Kallid's.

"Will this do?"

The captain shook his head. "It's not even tied."

"Will this do?" Kreet demanded.

"Alright, alright. It'll do. Just... don't get into any trouble."

"We won't start any trouble, Captain. I give you my word on that."

"The word of a kobold."

"The word of a Cleric of Pelor."

At that the Captain nodded and gestured toward the gate.

Kreet began walking toward it with Kallid behind and Sigmundurr towing the horses.

"Wait!" the Captain said. "He should be leading you!"

"You said nothing about what order we have to go in," Kreet pointed out, a slight smile in her voice, and kept on walking. 

As Sigmundurr passed the silent Captain, he added, "Well, you didn't!"

The Captain shook his head. "Just... be careful okay. Don't make me regret this. There's a stable just inside a few buildings down on your right."

**************************

After they'd put the horse and ponies away, the returned back out to the street. The rope around their necks was already gone. One of the watchmen at the gate saw them and just shook his head but resumed his duties

"Still, we'd better stay close to Sig," Kreet said to Kallid. "It is best we make it clear we're supposed to be here."

"So what's the plan?" Sig asked. "I don't know my way around here at all."

"Well, we really need to get a place to stay first. Ask somebody where there's an inn. A cheap inn."

People did stare at the kobolds as they passed, but it seemed as long as they acted as if they belonged, no one said anything at least. They were directed to an inn not too far from the gates, but the price was way too high. Kreet suspected it had gone up when the owner had seen the kobolds. The innkeeper seemed relieved when they decided to not to stay, but he did suggest another place in the slum district.

"It's going to be pretty bad," Sigmundurr said as they continued on into the city. "For that price, it's bound to be."

"It's what we can afford," Kreet said, not terribly worried. "How are you doing, Kallid?"

"Much better here in the shade of these buildings. Did you see that one back there? How do they even build them that high?!"

"I saw. And there's bigger ones that way," Kreet said, gesturing to her right. "That must be the center of the city."

"Kinda stinks though," Kallid pointed out.

"Yeah. I noticed."

Sigmundurr laughed. "You'll get used to it. All these people in one place. It's gonna stink. The slum will be worse. Crap and piss in the street. Unwashed people. You sure?"

"I'm sure Sig. At least till we get jobs or something, and who knows how long that will take. We've got to expect it will be a while."

An hour later they were still walking.

"We haven't passed it have we?" Sig asked. "We could ask someone."

"I've been counting," Kreet assured him, "and there's signs on the corner buildings that list the block numbers. Haven't you noticed?"

Sigmundurr shrugged. "Can't read."

"Oh. Sorry," she said, realizing she should have known that. "Well he said it was in block one hundred and four. That's about twenty more."

They continued on, when finally they reached the block number. The place was obviously poor. Even ramshackle. The core of the block buildings were built of similar stone and brick material as the richer areas had been, but they had been augmented by obviously shoddy additions towards the streets, where she saw children playing and entire families living. And Sig wasn't wrong about the sanitation. Fortunately there was a good breeze and the worst of it was swept away. That wouldn't always be the case.

"Well," Sigmundurr said as they looked around for the inn, "At least it doesn't look dangerous. Just poor."

"Kally, do you realize what would happen here if one of these shacks caught fire?" Kreet whispered.

"Whoosh!" he replied quietly.

"Hey!" said a grubby boy to Kallid, running up to them. "Are you a baby dragon?"

"I," Kallid said proudly, "am a kobold."

"But are you a baby dragon? Where's your wings?"

"Not a dragon," Kreet said. "A kobold."

"What's a kobold?"

Kallid laughed. "A baby dragon!"

"Kallid! We are not dragons. What's your name? I'm Kreet."

Three other kids were angling their way closer. Apparently this one was just the bravest of the bunch.

"I'm Jack. That's Gerty, Main and Paula."

"Hi Jack. This is my husband, Kallid. We're new here. Hey, there's supposed to be an inn around here somewhere. We're looking for it. Do you know where it is?"

The others had gotten close enough by now. The one called Gerty pointed at a building down the street. "The Shitting Stank". It's over there. Are you going to stay there?

Kreet scrunched her nose at the name, which set the kids laughing.

Jack explained, "It's The Shining Skink. But we don't call it that."

"Not sure if we're going to stay there or not yet."

"Oh stay!" cried the littlest, a girl named Paula. "We like baby dragons!"

"We'll see, Paula. We'll see," Kreet said and turned back to Sigmundurr. 

"The Shitting Stank."

"Sounds like what we can afford."

"Alright. Let's go check it out. How bad can it be?"

As they were approaching, a woman walked out, throwing her apron on the ground and cursing behind her. Equally foul language was heard inside, ending with "Good riddance!"

The three looked at each other as the woman stalked down the street.

Kreet picked up the apron and tried it on for size.


	21. Marge (Kreet 53)

Inside, the Shining Skink was dark in the early afternoon. But the heat of day was coming on and they all felt the relief of its natural coolness. However, the place looked abandoned. Only a lone figure sat looking out of a window at the other side of the traditional barroom that itself had seen better days.

At the sound of their entrance, the woman turned slowly, as if little interested in anything that might come in the door now.

What she didn't expect, obviously, were two kobolds dressed like little adventurers and a hulking brute behind them. It was her shriek that made that obvious.

Kreet drew Kallid back while Sigmundurr rushed in. "It's okay lady. They're with me. They're civilized kobolds. Here, Kreet... talk to her!"

Kreet was just about as unsettled as the lady must have been. She knew her kind wasn't well loved, but she'd never actually seen anyone frightened of her before. In other circumstances she might have laughed, but here - in a strange city filled with millions of people who think you're a monster - it frightened her too.

"S...sorry Ma'am," she said, bowing low. "My name is Kreet. We're just here to see about getting a room for a few days."

The lady's eyes slowly went back to normal as she looked from Sigmundurr to Kreet to Kallid. "Oh lords you gave me a fright!," she said as she stood up. She was tall and lean, an angular face that had itself seen better days, but she carried herself as if she owned the place. Of course, they assumed she did.

"I'm Marge. If you want a room, the only one we've got worth staying in is on the second floor. Third floor's all gone moldy as have the others except mine. Roof leaks. And I just lost my only help, so food and drink you'll have to find for yourself. No bar - that's just there for ambience. Ain't nobody going to clean your room up either. And you pay to stay, not for the room. You 'bolds can talk, you can pay like anybody else, right? Three people, three bills. Got it?"

"How much?" Kreet asked. This lady wasn't going to be a pleasant landlord, she could see that already.

"Three. Each. Nine per day."

Kreet looked up at Sigmundurr, worried. "Sig, we can't even afford this place. At that price we'll be out of gold in no time."

"Gold? What the fuck are are you talking about? Nine copper. Per day. Give me a gold piece and you can stay for the month!" The lady said, suddenly more interested.

Kreet too was suddenly more interested. She didn't normally break into a grin, since the toothy look was less than appealing to humans, but she couldn't help herself this time.

"Deal!"

At that, they all turned to where the stairs beside the bar began to creak. Down them lumbered a middle-aged woman. Though she was significantly larger than Marge, they shared similar features and Kreet guessed rightly that the two were sisters.

"Holy shit!" said the newcomer, stopping when she caught sight of the kobolds.

"Relax Sybil, they're civilized. This one can talk."

"Hey," Kallid interjected. "I can talk too!"

"See there? They both can talk."

The other woman grabbed a spiked club from behind the bar and approached warily. "What are they here for?"

"New tenants."

"What, are we renting rooms to animals now?" Sybil said, sitting beside Marge.

"Oh, stuff it Sybil. Their money's as good as anyone's. Maybe better. They mentioned gold!"

Sybil looked impressed, but then took her sister aside and started whispering. Of course Kreet heard every word.

"You know Big Jake is due in a few days. He's going to want the protection money and we haven't got it!

"Dammit, I know we haven't got it! Why do you think June quit? I couldn't pay her either. I'm doing the best I can."

"You know... mom's invitation is still there. Really Marge, we're barely staying afloat here. Let's just take what we've got left and go!"

"But... maybe these new tenants are just the start of a new patch of luck?"

"Marge, we've got only one room left, the liquor's so watered down nobody wants it, and now we don't even have June to help us run the place. For the last time, let's just go!"

Kreet's mind spun quickly, and she looked to Kallid who likely had heard the same thing. In the native kobold tongue, she squeaked, "Want to?"

Kallid nodded rapidly. "Let's do it."

Kreet then cleared her throat to get the ladies' attention.

"Marge? Sybil? We'll buy it."

The two turned back to stare at her.

"What?"

"The Shining Skink. We'll buy it. How much does Big Jake want? Look, anything we pay you is better than you just leaving it, right? I can pay you ten gold right now, and ten more a month from now."

Marge looked at Sybil. 

  
"Not a bad idea," she replied.

"What does a kobold know about running an inn?"

"What," Kreet laughed. "Are you trying to persuade me not to? How to run an inn with one room and no bar? I think I can manage! How much does Big Jake want?"

"Depends on how much I have each month. I show him my coffer and he grabs some. But my coffer's practically empty this month. Lost two tenants to a storm a few weeks ago, and now June's gone. But he might relent on you guys since you're new. Doesn't hurt to have muscle like him too."

Sigmundurr smiled. He didn't mind being called 'muscle'.

Sybil spoke up. "Sold!"

Marge shot her a look, but Sybil continued. "Marge, you're an old stick in the mud and slow to change, but this place is dying. Hell it's already dead. If these things think they can get it running again, let them try. We've got no energy or money left to sink into this hole, and Mom needs us at home. Marge, it's time. Sell it. Sell it now while someone is willing to buy it and before the Band takes it anyway."

Marge let out a sigh and relit her pipe. "Let me think about it."

"Look, even if you don't sell, we'll take the room anyway."

Sybil nodded. "Well, come on. Follow me. I'll show you around the place."

Kreet motioned to Sigmundurr and Kallid to go ahead while she moved over to where Marge had resumed her position smoking by the window.

"I used to work in a tavern," she began quietly. "A long time ago now it seems. I was just a wench, but I was a good wench. For a kobold I mean."

Marge didn't look at her. She blew a puff of smoke that curled out of the window.

"This place used to be something," she said quietly. "Thirty years ago you could barely get in on week-ends."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I guess we started to slip. Started watering the drinks a little. Maybe a couple of the girls began making side money upstairs. And I just looked the other way. I didn't want to see it happening. Then the sewers stopped working. That was the end, really. Can't run a bar if the pissholes are backed up. And then we couldn't pay the handyman to keep the roof patched. Neighborhood went to shit. Couple of riots happened, and then the city watch stopped coming in. The Band took over. Somebody always does when the Watch won't come in. They're really not all that bad. Couple of broken arms maybe, smashed nose. But they don't kill people. They do take their toll, but they're a lot better than thugs running wild. Big Jake's just a collector. But he does his job. If we don't pay... they'll take something. Not sure what, but they make sure we'll regret it."

"And if you sell it to me?"

"To be honest, I've no idea. They might ignore you and just take the place over themselves. I've seen it happen. But they run it into the ground. Milk all they can out of the business and leave it abandoned. Happened to a cafeteria on 107 block. Uncle Mike's. Was a nice place, for this stinkhole area. But he couldn't pay for the protection, so they stopped protecting him. Did they send in the guys who ransacked the place, or did they really just not stop it? Who knows. Bottom line is the same. Mike left and they took over. Still had decent food for a while, but pretty soon nobody would eat there and it closed too. But if you'd seen this place thirty years ago..."

Kreet touched Marge's hand lightly.

"I'll try my best. I promise that."

"Why? What do you care? You're a fucking kobold! You shouldn't even be here in a human city!"

"Yes, I should. I have to. I'm pregnant and I need a place to stay. I've still got some gold left but it's going to run dry if I don't do something. I can turn this place around. I know I can!"

Marge took Kreet's hands, setting the pipe down.

"Girl, you don't understand. If you had thousands, you could fix this place up like it used to be. You could. And guess what? Nobody would come. They haven't got any money around here either. I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a slum. Only the losers live here now. Nobody's coming down to the Block 104 inn. Might get some drunks. We do get them sometimes. Desperate drunks."

Kreet realized that Marge was probably right. What point is there in even trying to restore this one inn, when the rest of the neighborhood is crumbling around it?

"I still want to try. I have to. I need a nest."


	22. More Pregnant (Kreet 54)

An hour later the issue was still unresolved, but Kreet, Kallid and Sigmundurr were at last alone in their room and able to talk privately again.

"Do you smell that?" Kallid was saying as he sniffed at the air.

Kreet smiled at him so that he would take her next words better than they might sound. "Kally, I smell so many things I don't want to think about I can't count them all. Which one are you referring to?"

"Mold. Rot. This room may look okay for now, but it's not."

"At least know what you're getting yourself into, Kreet," Sigmundurr added. "Let's go see how bad it is before you take this on. I don't think Pelor has anything to do with this place!"

Kallid continued, "Besides, where would we even start? It's like she said, if you had unlimited money and could get the building fully working again, what good would that be here in the slums? Kreet, to make this work we have to fix the entire neighborhood!"

Kreet looked at him for a long time. While Kallid hadn't known his wife for long, he had begun to read her mood already. She was thinking of something.

"What?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

"You're right. When you're on a sinking ship, the very first thing you have to do is plug the leak before you start bailing the water out that's already gotten in. I was thinking the leak was the roof here, but I wasn't thinking big enough. The ship isn't this building, it's the entire neighborhood. And the leak isn't in this building. It's below it."

Kallid's eyes widened, but Sigmundurr wrinkled his nose.

"Oh gods, don't tell me we're going to go down there!"

"She said the whole thing really started when the sewers stopped working."

"Kreet," Kallid said, his expression now more worried than ever. "You have no idea what's..."

"No, you're right. I don't. Look, it's just an idea, but it's the best one I've got. I'm willing to listen to others."

"You could go see the Bishop," Kallid suggested.

"In due time. But not yet. Kally, I feel drawn to do this - to help these people. If I can do that, maybe we can stay here - at least till the kids are hatched. Then we can move on. It may not be Pelor's will to do this, but it is my will. These people live worse than my clan did in the caverns, and it seems pretty clear that whoever is running this city doesn't care. At least we can go down  
and see what we can see. Maybe it's hopeless, but it can't hurt to find out."

"The hell it can't," Sigmundurr stood. "Look, if you want to do this, I'll be there with you - but the sewers of a city aren't a place for defenseless..."

Suddenly he went stiff.

"Defenseless?" Kreet smiled. "Who saved your ass from that giant spider?"

She let his mouth free.

"Okay, I get it. You did. Alright, you've made your point. You are determined to do this. It's your life, after all. You know I'm out when Eilistraee comes back."

"Judging by the weight of my womb, I think I've probably got another month or two at least before that happens. So I think you're stuck with me," she said, freeing him from the spell.

"Okay. If the sisters are willing to sell, we'll see what we can do, right? If they don't, we'll leave the damn sewers alone."

Kreet shook her  
head.

"Oh damn. You're getting all goody-goody again aren't you? Where's the Kreet that fucked a bartender while drunk?"

"Hey!" Kallid complained.

"No one is perfect," Kreet smiled back, and kissed Kallid. "But I certainly don't regret it! Besides, you knew I was a cleric when you decided to come with me."

Sigmundurr grumbled. "Yeah. But i don't have to like it."

*********************

Marge was in the barroom when Kreet came down early the next morning while Sigmundurr and Kallid were still sleeping.

"Sleep well?"

Kreet shrugged. "Well enough. Have you thought about my proposal?"

"I have. I also have to tell you, you're making a mistake here. But I'm prepared to take advantage of your mistake. I'm not without ethics, though. I'll stay on here to help out as best I can. You at least need to meet my suppliers - thieves that they are. And Big Jake will be here in a few days. He may be your biggest problem."

"Can I meet with his boss instead?"

"His boss? Hell, I've never even met his boss. Not his REAL boss. You think he's going to come down here to the slums to meet a kobold?"

Kreet shrugged. "Worth a try. I'll ask Big Jake when we meet."

"You... really don't understand how things work here, Kreet."

"You're right. And I'll gladly take your help. But for now, I have another question. How do I get into the sewers?"

Marge looked at her oddly. "The sewers? How the hell would I know?"

"Well, it stands to reason there must be some way down there. Also, where can I get a map of them?"

"Kreet, I don't know what you're thinking, but I told you the sewers are broken around here. Have been for years. I hate to imagine what it must be like down there."

Kreet smiled. "I'll let you know."

Marge's eyes fairly bulged from her head. "You're going down there?! You're one crazy lizard. Look, get me my 10 gold before you go at least."

"Afraid I may not come back?"

"More afraid you will - without showering first. You need City Maintenance. But you need to be a citizen to even get in the door - let alone being... like you are. I'll go. Sybil will be down in a little bit."

"Thanks Marge," Kreet said, and Marge stood up.

"Can I get you something?" she asked, and Kreet was suddenly struck by the incongruity of the question. A human, in a human city, waiting on a kobold.

"I thought you said there was no service here," Kreet smiled.

"For a customer, there isn't. But for the owner of the Shining Skink...You go get me that 10 gold, I'll get you all breakfast."

Kreet nodded and went back upstairs. She returned with Kallid, having woken him when she got out the gold pieces from her dwindling pouch.

"Ah, the little 'bold too," said Sybil who was waiting when they got back. "Marge is making you breakfast."

Kreet took out the 10 gold, stacked it up, and slid it across the table to Sybil. "I need a bill of sale, signed by both of you."

"Can't write.. Marge can. An X okay? And you'll need to get an official stamp from the city for it to be legal. That'll cost you too. You really going into the sewers?"

"I really am. Can Marge get that while she's at the City Maintenance department for us?"

"Shouldn't be any problem. When she gets back from there, I'm heading home - to where my mom lives that is."

Marge came back carrying two plates, and sat them in front of Kreet and Kallid.

"Oh! What's this?" Kallid asked, not recognizing some of what was on the plate.

"Beans. Beans and eggs and a little bread and cheese. Sorry, not exactly a full menu these days, little man," Marge smiled, as much at the pile of gold coins as at the little kobold.

Kallid stood up out of his chair, a look of anger on his face.

"Now look, I know I'm smaller than you. I'm smaller  
than Kreet. I'm smaller than everybody here, but I'm no child! And I'm getting a little tired of being treated like one!"

"Sorry... Kallid, right?" Marge said, sitting beside her sister. "How old are you Kallid?"

Kallid sulked but didn't answer.

Kreet answered instead. The two women looked back at her husband.

"Hey, kobolds grow up faster than you humans! It's perfectly adult for us!"

"He's right about that," Kreet assured them. "Trust me. These little ones in my belly are growing like weeds too! I can almost feel them already."

She put her hands on her abdomen to demonstrate, then suddenly realized that she actually could feel them! It was a revelation that both thrilled and frightened her. Combining both the internal sense with her fingers, she could actually tell where her children were within her.

But something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Kallid!" she said, "I can feel them!" 

But again Kallid could see that her look wasn't just the excitement of being able to feel her children within her. "What? What's wrong?"

"There are three," she said, letting the fact hang in the air.

She mustered a weak smile finally, and Kallid mimicked it back to her.

"Sorry Kreet. I didn't know! That night... I just assumed... Well hell, I don't know anything about female stuff!"

Kreet took his hand and patted it, assuring him she wasn't mad. "I guess I can get more pregnant."


	23. Kobold Tossing (Kreet 55)

Marge had spent her day well by the time the sun was going down. She returned not only with a map of the sewer system drawn to scale, but with another map of the city above to correlate with it. It had cost Kreet another gold coin to get it, and yet another for the notarized deed transfer of the Shining Skink.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if it would hold up legally for a kobold to own property in the Royal City, but considering the state of the building it would be surprising if anyone actually cared enough.

She hadn't been idle either. The three of them had returned to the horse and ponies and sold them. In fact they had gotten more than they'd paid for them, and at least her money had increased a little. Then she went shopping.

Sigmundurr had suggested a torch, but she had enough sense to know that open flame and sewer gas didn't mix well. Besides, she was a Cleric of the Lord of Light. If she knew no other spells, she could at least create light! But she did purchase a staff that would act as a storage system for her light spell so that she didn't have to maintain it while underground. While such things were often associated with mages, all magic wielders knew the value of a good staff of light!

Ropes would surely be handy, so they stocked up on those, and Sigmundurr traded in his sword for a wickedly heavy hammer at her request. It would serve well as a weapon, but in what she anticipated she would find, it might have other uses. 

There would likely be other equipment that she would need, but she just wasn't experienced enough in this sort of thing to know what to get. She suggested a short bow and arrow for Kallid, but he knew he wouldn't be able to wield them well enough to be helpful without months of experience. But he did happily bring them back to the Shining Skink to begin practicing in the small courtyard behind the building.

"I won't be any good at it yet, but someday I will be!" he declared proudly, and Kreet realized again how much she really had fallen for the little guy. She had no doubt of his sincerity, and she paid special attention to him that night, so that in the morning all three were in a good mood.

They finished a light breakfast Marge provided, then were off. Unfortunately the map indicated there simply weren't many entrances. There was one within the Slum region, but Kreet sensed it was important to see the working sewers and exactly where they stopped and the malfunctioning Slum system began. It took a good hour to leave the slums behind and get back into the more prosperous regions.

"Well, it did rain last night. That surely will help keep the smell tolerable at least," Kallid noted hopefully.

"We'll see soon enough. See that big drain under the bridge? That's where we go in."

They had reached one of several small rivers that ran through the city, with an ancient stone bridge across it. The river was running swiftly and Kreet cautioned them all to be careful - it could well drown them if they fell into it. Fortunately the outflow from the sewer into it looked pretty mild. There were some steps leading off the bridge down to the dark mouth of the sewer, and they proceeded cautiously towards it.

Though they had to wade through it for a few paces, tied to each other with a rope, it sooned widened out and on both sides of the main sewer was a path that was at least somewhat shallower. At other times the paths on the sides were likely dry, but as Kallid had predicted, the rains were keeping the water relatively clean - as long as you didn't look too closely.

Behind them, the outflow sounded like a minor waterfall and they had to yell to be heard, but as they proceeded further in, the noise lightened up. The slightly bluish glow of the staff worked well, but the sewer didn't run straight, so it seemed they could never see much ahead of them. 

"Okay. I memorized the first few turns, but I need to check the map out again soon," Kreet said, looking around. "Can we find somewhere dry?"

"I don't see anything," Sigmundurr said, his voice booming in the now-quieting space. "You'll just have to be careful not to get it wet."

She nodded, and withdrew the sewer map from her pack, opening it carefully.

"Okay, so we go that way," she determined, pointing to her right. "Then we turn to the left at the next bend and that should get us near where the main path to the slum area is. From there it's pretty much a straight line on the main path."

She'd just put the map safely back in her pack when the first attack came. An albino alligator, it even gave Sigmundurr a fright with it's ferociousness even though it was quite small and he easily dispatched it with a blow from his hammer.

"Okay," he said as they watched the carcass flow downstream, "that's probably just as well. It'll keep us on our guard. We're not alone down here. Also the bigger things will come from the center channel or overhead. So don't neglect to look up sometimes too, okay?"

Kreet thought it weird to be taking warnings from Sigmundurr, but he'd prowled such places more than she had in her adult life. The roof of the sewer wasn't far overhead - just slightly beyond Sigmundurr's head in fact - but she flashed her eyes along its length anyway. While she and Kallid didn't need the light, Sigmundurr did - and they needed Sigmundurr!

Fortunately they didn't encounter anything worse than the albino alligators, and Sigmundurr prevented them from getting anywhere close to Kreet or Kallid. It also helped that they hadn't attacked in any sort of coordinated way. They just seemed to thrash about blindly and randomly, but were fierce when they detected something.

Finally they arrived at one of the duly-marked Cloaca Maxima locations on the map. The space opened up into a larger area where different channels joined together. But Kreet soon realized there was a problem. The channel they needed to follow into the area of the slums was significantly higher than where they stood. She also noticed there was no outflow from it. But the immediate concern was how they could climb up to it. None were terribly good at climbing, though Kallid almost managed to get his talons to hold his weight as he tried to scale the slippery sides.

"Damn," Kreet fumed. "It's not even that high! But I can't for the life of me figure out how we're going to get up there!"

"Maybe if we climb onto each other's shoulders?" Kallid suggested, but Kreet didn't think it would get them quite high enough.

Sigmundurr had his back to the two kobolds, watching for stray alligators. He turned back and looked overhead. The ceiling was a dome-shaped stone block construction, but it afforded nothing to attach a rope to - even if they could get up to it or get a lucky rope toss.

"Hold on," he said, dispatching another white maw that was getting a little too close. 

"Kallid, take your pack off," he said, assuring himself that the remaining gators weren't close enough for any immediate threat for a few minutes anyway.

The little kobold did so, cocking his head to one side in curiosity as he handed it to Kreet. Sigmundurr spat on his hands and squatted. "Okay, get ready."

Kallid didn't understand until he was in the air. Kreet did, but only a millisecond before Sigmundurr had grabbed Kallid by an arm and a leg and fairly tossed him fully through the opening above. Kreet saw the bulging eyes and unintelligible burble her mate let loose as he was briefly and unexpectedly airborne.

"AAAAAAA!!!" came the voice from above. "Damn it Sig! You could have at least warned me first! I nearly soiled myself!"

"Bah. You or Kreet would have come up with some reason not to, and we'd be stuck here for an hour. Besides, you're in the right place for soiling yourself anyway."

Kallid's head emerged above them, looking none too happy.

"Well, don't just gawk at us. Here, catch this rope!" Sig said, tossing a rope up to Kallid and then resuming his guard duty behind Kreet.

"You okay Kally?" Kreet asked, trying her best not to giggle.

"Yeah. I guess. Hold on, there's a stone jutting from the side I should be able to wrap this around. I think it'll even hold Sig. If I don't 'accidentally' let it slip!"

A few more minutes and they were in the main channel towards the slums. It was dry as a bone. The channel that should have been free flowing with water held nothing but hard-as-rock mud. It wasn't even slightly smelly and could have been made from some sort of concrete.

"One thing's for sure, this channel hasn't worked for a long, long time!"

Kallid looked at Kreet. "You know - to be this dry, especially after a rainfall, it's like ALL the holes into it must be plugged up. How likely is that?"

"Not likely at all."

"Kreet, I think it was sealed up on purpose."

Sigmundurr spoke up then. "You think there's, like, something in here that they sealed it up to prevent it getting out?"

"Every little gutter?" Kreet said, shaking her head. "No, I don't think that makes sense. Look, we're not far enough in to see why or how it was sealed up yet. This is just the main channel and it doesn't have any direct drains - that comes further on according to the map., But if it was sealed up purposely, the only reason I can think of is that someone wanted the sewers to stop working. Maybe wanted to create a slum!"

"Well, maybe," Sigmundurr said. "I know you're thinking of Big Jake and his group. But that's a lot of guesswork when we haven't even found out what the problem is yet. Let's go on further in. We'll know soon enough."


	24. Into the Muck (Kreet 56)

A few bruised knuckles later both Kreet and Sigmundurr stood beside Kallid. The channel that led to the slum area was much smaller and had only one walking area to the right of the ditch for the water, but it was still tall enough for Sigmundurr to stand upright in the center - especially since it was dry.

"Well, if you're ready," Kallid said. "I can't imagine this will go far before we see what's going on in there."

Kreet nodded and Sigmundurr took up his hammer again. Kreet led the way with her light-staff but the other two stayed close behind her should there be a problem. Kallid may not have been able to do much, but instinct runs deep when protecting your mate and he was ready to do anything necessary should danger arise.

In fact, they had walked in for only a few minutes before they saw the problem. A wall of rough stone had been erected, completely blocking the channel ahead.

"Well, so much for your theory about each hole being blocked. They just blocked the whole thing!" Sigmundurr noted, reflexively pushing at the stone. "I'm no stone mason, but this looks pretty old and hastily built."

"But effective," Kreet noted. "Do you think you could knock it down?"

"Only one way to find out. You guys better get back. The funk of 30 years probably lies behind this!"

The kobolds backed up and Sigmundurr gave the wall a powerful blow. The cracks became evident immediately.

"Oh shit," Sigmundurr called back as a foul stench assaulted them.. "Oh gods! Hold your nose! Are you ready for this Kreet? Kallid? It's gonna be bad."

"Wait a minute. Kallid, let's tie ourselves up to something. Just in case."

"What to? There's nothing here really!"

She looked around and had to agree. "Sig?"

He nodded and they all tied themselves to the big man. Then he took another swing. A rock fell from its mortar and liquid began pouring from the hole.

"Oh Pelor help me!" Kreet wept as the fumes came on in full.

"Kreet?!" Sigmundurr called back. "I think I've weakened the wall enough!"

She looked back and saw the whole thing now bowed outward and the stream was rapidly gaining. Blessedly it became a bit less thick.

And then the wall gave way entirely. Kreet closed her eyes and held Kallid's hand tightly as the onslaught began. Her staff was swept away only seconds before Kallid too was lost to her grip. But the sudden pull on the rope around her waist let her know that - somewhere behind her he was still tied to her. She didn't dare open her eyes, and wished she'd taken a deeper breath before it had hit, but now she had to just do her best to hold onto the rope. How Sigmundurr was managing to stay in place she really didn't know.

It felt like it went on for an hour, and she realized she wasn't going to be able to keep holding her breath much longer. She rapidly scanned through her magic, but she couldn't think of anything that might help. Briefly she despaired of her life and that of her children who might never be born, while at the same time worrying that the rope around her waist might be causing them harm within her. 

But she could do nothing but pray, so that's what she did. It calmed her just enough to prevent the inhalation of the muck flowing past her for the few more seconds she needed till she felt the flow lighten. Her head finally emerged from the water around her, though she couldn't open her eyes yet. The flow was still far too strong to stand in, but at least she could breathe again. And scream.

"KALLID! ARE YOU OKAY?"

"KREET!" she heard Sigmundurr yell from ahead of her. "KREET, I CAN'T HOLD MUCH LONGER! IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO?"

She thought briefly about her Hold Person spell, but she knew instinctively that it worked only on the person himself. It wouldn't magically stop the water from pushing him away from whatever he was holding onto, and it wouldn't keep his hands from releasing against their will.

She had a strong healing spell, but she wasn't sure if it would help in this situation. He wasn't injured, it was his stamina that was failing. But it was the only thing she had. She wiped the muck from her eyes just long enough to see the vague form of the big man ahead of her, then closed them again and cast the spell - hoping it would at least help somewhat.

Whether or not it did, they would never know. But every second that he managed to hold on was a second that more of the filth washed past them and the pull lessened with each one.

"KALLID!" she called again, trying to turn around. She heard a gasp behind her, and she began trying to pull him closer with the rope.

Ahead, in panting breaths Sigmundurr called back, "I've got a better hold now. I'm on the other side of the wall. Where's Kallid?"

She pulled the rope faster as the flow continued to lessen. Finally he surfaced and grabbed her hand, gasping for air.

"Oh Kallid!" she cried, pulling him to her. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, still breathing hard. "Okay! Rope moved!" He showed Kreet that it had slid up to just under his arms. "Couldn't... get feet underneath."

Kreet raised her eyes upwards and gave Pelor a short prayer of thanks.

"Kreet?" Sigmundurr said in front of her. "I know you two can see fine but. I'm blind up here."

"Sorry Sig," she said, conjuring a ball of light in one hand while helping Kallid. The water was still rushing past, but it had cleared up quite a bit and was not too far from being clean, though it was still quite a slog going upriver.

Once they got past the wall, the three rested as best they could against what remained of it.

"I'll knock the rest down in a minute. So, are we done here?"

Kreet thought about it a moment. There was still a lot of sludge coating every surface right up to the now-low ceiling of the sewer.

"Can you smell anymore?" she asked, not answering his question.

"I don't think so. And for that I am very grateful," said the big man. 

"And you?" she asked Kallid.

"Nothing. I think my snout is overpowered."

"Sense of smell overload," she nodded. "But we can breathe. I think we must have opened up some of the drains at least. But this muck - it's going to have all the building sewer lines clogged up still."

"We can probably clear those from above," Kallid suggested.

"Probably," she agreed. "But it would sure be nice to have our own working lavatories when we get back to the Shining Skink. I think I have an idea - if we can clear at least ours."

They worked their way deeper in, though the muck was up to the kobold's knees and the space became narrower. They did pass some street drainage areas, now cleared of the clog that let in some light which Sigmundurr appreciated - as well as some blessedly fresh air. They reached the point where the road to the Skink must have been, but the side channel that led that way was too small for Sigmundurr to continue. Kreet and Kallid continued on, eventually having to crawl their way through - though in that area the muck was dry and hardened and hadn't been reached by the rainwater. Finally they found what they decided must be the pipeline to the Skink itself. 

It was too small even for Kreet with her decidedly wider hips, but Kallid enthusiastically soldiered on until only his feet were in sight.

"It turns up here," he called back. "Totally full of... dried mud."

Yes, Kreet thought. Mud. It was just dried mud. No need to think of it as anything else. 

"Can you loosen it?"

"Trying to get my dagger out. Hold on, I'm going to back out so I can get it in front of me."

He completed the maneuver and went back. She heard him picking away at something, then suddenly a screech came and Kallid wiggled backwards quickly.

Then she heard Kallid crying and spitting.

"What is it? Do you need me to pull you out?!"

"No. It's okay. It's cleared. It's just... no. You don't need to know. You don't want to know."

Kreet decided he was right. She didn't need to know. He was alright, and the sewage pipe to the Skink was cleared. They wriggled backwards till they were out and met Sigmundurr, who was sitting near where an overhead drain was seen, with occasional gusts of fresh air blowing in.

"So?" he asked. "How'd it go?"

Kreet looked at Kallid, who was still spitting whenever he got the chance.

"We got it done, Sig. That's what matters."

They worked their way all the way back to where they'd entered the sewer, stopping to let Sigmundurr knock down the remains of the wall, and carrying the stones back to the Cloaca Maximus spillway, safely clearing the last of the blockage.

"Who on earth would have done that?" Kreet pondered as they were approaching the light outside. "It's awful!"

"I don't know the why, but it's a good bet the government had something to do with it. They could have sent some people in here to clear it if it had been someone else's work," Sigmundurr pointed out.

"I don't care right now," Kallid said mournfully. "I just want to get out."

The light from the spillway grew and the noise of it increased as they approached, but it was less than it had been. Once they were on the stone stairs, they picked their way back up in the waning sun of late afternoon. 

"I lost my staff," Kreet complained as they regrouped atop the bridge.

"And I lost my hammer. But hey, we did the thing, right?" Sigmundurr said half heartedly.

Kallid began to vomit over the side, and Kreet rubbed his back to comfort him as best she could. When finally the convulsions subsided, he weakly turned back with a smile.

"You did a good thing, Kallid," Kreet said, and she kissed him. The gesture was a purely human one, but it was one she liked and he accepted it happily.

Some passerby looked at them but Sigmundurr's expression kept them away as much as the stench which all three were blessedly no longer sensitive to. Then they trudged their way back to Block 104. Victorious they may have been in their quest, but that was certainly not the portrait they presented to the residents of block 104 when they got back.

"Marge?!" Kreet called while standing outside the front door.

"Oh Gods!" she heard the ex-proprietor call as she neared the door. "What's that smell?!"

She knew the answer when she looked at the three. There was not an inch on any of them that wasn't caked in filth. But the old lady was also practical.

"Go stand over there, under the balcony. I'll get Sybil and we'll douse you with water. This is no time to be modest either. Take that garbage off yourselves first.. We'll burn it all later."

"But... everybody's looking at us!" Kreet protested. "Can't we go around back or something?"

"You will not set foot inside my property until you're cleaned up. Not one foot!"

"It's my property," Kreet said under her breath, but she knew Marge was right.

She looked to Sigmundurr, who was already stripping. He obviously would have no problem.

"Well, I guess we get to introduce ourselves to the neighbors a little early?" Kallid said hopefully.

A crowd was gathering, and Kreet realized that she might as well take the opportunity. By now the rumors of the kobolds in the Inn must have been rampant anyway.

"Hi everybody," she said. More than a few gasps were heard in the crowd.

"Yes, we can talk," Kallid followed her, just to clear up any doubt.

"Look," Kreet continued, "We know you don't see many kobolds around here like us. And apparently none that can speak your language. But we promise you we're... civilized. I'm Kreet, and this is Kallid, my husband."

"Husband?" she heard one of the women repeat.

"Yes, and dutifully married. And that big man over there is our friend, Sigmundurr."

"What religion would kobolds be married under?" said another.

"Well, in fact we were married by a goddess named Eilistraee. A goddess of the Drow in fact, but..."

That set a good number of them grumbling, but the crowd was growing. She saw faces looking out of windows in the building across from them now.

"It's not like that! In fact, I am a Cleric of Pelor. I know you might not believe it now, but I am! And in the coming months I hope to prove it to you."

"Why are you covered in shit?" asked a young man, maybe still a kid. But it set everyone laughing, and for that at least Kreet was grateful. Mentioning Dark Elves, even if true, wasn't a popular thing to say here.

"Thats..." she began, but Kallid tapped her shoulder and she saw Marge was now waiting on the balcony with a bucket. "That's a bit of a story that I'd like to tell you. However, before I can do that, I have to take a shower with my friends here. I don't mind telling you that we are not the type of people... well, we ARE people. Just kobold people! Anyway, we're not the kind of people that go outside naked normally. Really we're not! But, as this man here so honestly observed, we are currently covered in shit. And frankly I'd rather stand in front of you wet and naked than continue to stand here like this. And so..."

She took off her clothes as quickly and as un-provocatively as she could manage and moved to stand under Marge.

"So yes, I now stand before you, a naked kobold woman. But at least I'll soon not be covered in shit. As I'll explain shortly though, I would like to point out that it's your shit I'm covered in!"

With that, a bucket of blessedly clean water rained down over her head and she rubbed herself clean as best she could. By the time the second bucket began, she felt her sense of smell returning. It was a psychological blessing only though. At least she knew the odor was no longer coming directly from her, but from the dirty water than ran to the curb much too slowly.

Kallid went last as Kreet accepted a towel from overhead and dried herself off, no longer caring that she was naked in front of strangers. The towel may have been threadbare and worn, but it smelled like the cleanest thing she had ever smelled.

Kallid directed the second bucketfull into his mouth as he coughed and spat it back out, rinsing and gargling. That set the kids across the street to laughing and he smiled weakly as a towel was dropped down to him finally as well.

By now the crowd was beginning to make themselves comfortable, sitting and watching this spectacle, but they seemed now to be less offended and more genial.

Kreet wrapped the towel around herself and continued her little speech.

"Now, let me tell you why we were covered in your shit. I am told that some thirty years ago, your sewers stopped working. I am also told this neighborhood was once a thriving district in the city. I don't need to tell you that it has gone downhill ever since."

A murmur of assent rolled through the people.

"Well, today Kallid, Sigmundurr and myself have repaired that sewer. Your bathrooms and toilets won't work right now - they're too clogged up. But the main lines beyond are now cleared. The drainage from the streets will work again. In time you can clear up your clogged pipes as well. But to prove what I tell you is true, I invite you all to come into the Inn. Give us till sunset to clean ours up, but ours are now working. And until we can get the rest of yours going... well, you're welcome to shit in ours!"

A minor cheer went up through the crowd and Kreet smiled inwardly. This might just work! She was afraid the next statement might be too much for them, but she decided to hazard it anyway. She was on a roll.

"And with this minor miracle from the Lord of Light, Pelor, we'd like to invite you to a re-opening of the Inn as well. Not tonight - we haven't even begun to get things back in order - but we will, and as fast as we can. We're going to rename the inn too. From now on it's no longer the Shining Skink. It will now be known as...

She thought rapidly, realizing she was going too fast. She hadn't thought this through as well as she should have. Her instinct was to rename it the Wicked Kobold as a way of perhaps finding someone who actually would recognize the name and help in her search for her old life. But no, she was embarking on a new life. Besides, the name had a negative connotation which - as a devotee of the Lord of LIght - she knew she shouldn't promote. The Naked Kobold would certainly be appropriate, given what her neighbors had just been witness to. 

But no. Not even that felt right. She needed something that would be seen as positive. She needed these people to see her and Kallid not as monsters, but as something safe - even cute. It wouldn't give them the respect they deserved, but she couldn't demand too much when they were still strangers here. 

The children had the answer. In their innocence, they hadn't looked at her as frightening at all. They had had the right name...

"The Baby Dragon Inn!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. I PROMISE the place will NOT be called The Baby Dragon Inn. Kreet is far from infallible! :)  
> Also while researching ancient sewers, I discovered the term Cloaca Maximus. I didn't just make that up to throw the word Cloaca in! It's a real thing, though honestly nothing like the junction of channels that I described. I just liked the sound of it too much not to use.


	25. Mother (Kreet 57)

The applause she'd expected never came. Instead the crowd began to disperse.

"What? What's wrong with that for a name?" she asked.

"The Baby Dragon Inn?" Kallid said, a distasteful expression on his face. "Sounds... maybe a little... I don't know, maybe too kid-friendly?"

Sigmundurr was shaking his head too.

Before the crowd had dispersed completely, she amended herself. "Or... something! We might change that!"

"Don't worry about it, Kreet," said a stranger. "It's a fine thing you've done. If you want to call it the Baby Dragon, you go right ahead."

"Doesn't exactly inspire ya to wanna go leave the family and drink the night away though, does it?" said the old woman beside him.

A middle-aged man took Kreet's hand unexpectedly and patted it. "Doesn't matter what it's called, Kreet. If the shitter works, you'll be the most popular place in the district!"

She looked back at Kallid, who shrugged.

"Well that didn't go as I'd imagined," she admitted. "Oh well. Come on, let's go get some clothes on and get the lavatories working before they come back."

Fortunately the toilets weren't in too bad shape. Since they'd all stopped working so long ago the rooms had been closed and the actual pipes leading out were easily cleared the rest of the way with some water. In fact, most of the hour following was devoted to filling all the buckets they could find with water from the rain barrels for flushing.

As the night wore on, the wonder of the working toilets spread through the area. Their's weren't the only ones that started working that night. Some of their neighbors were able to clear out their blockages as well, and word spread rapidly. The kobolds had truly done it! Thankfully the Baby Dragon wasn't overrun with customers using their toilets, but the place did see more customers than it had in months.

A group who obviously knew each other came in and sat at one of the tables. Kreet had her apron tied around her and summoned her long-disused wench attitude.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked as sweetly as she could.

That set the group laughing.

"Yeah, I'll have some of your finest whiskey. Can't get such clean water around anywhere else!" one said.

"We're going to change all that. Honest!" she assured them.

"Oh, bring us whatever you've got," said another. "We'll have fun with it."

By the end of the evening, while the place hadn't exactly been overflowing, at least they had gotten a lot of people to drop in to visit the toilets. More importantly, Kreet thought, they'd gotten a lot of people used to seeing kobolds in a positive light.

"In hindsight," Kreet said that night to Kallid and Sigmundurr, "it would have been better to not announce everything till we'd gotten the whole place re-done."

"And maybe considered the name a little longer?" Kallid said timidly.

"Oh, I know I messed that up. I should have asked you guys first."

Sigmudurr spoke up. "Yeah, you should have. But it's not that bad."

Kallid nodded, "It's really not. But... you could have asked us first."

Kreet's eyes narrowed. "Kallid! Are we having our first marital fight?"

Fortunately Kallid understood her mock attitude. "I think we are!"

"Oh-oh. Maybe I'll take a walk around the block," Sigumundurr said, recognizing he had suddenly become one person too many in the small room.

"For about an hour, if you don't mind?" Kreet nodded as Sigmundurr rose and walked to the door. "I have to teach my husband who's the boss around here!"

"And I've got to show her who's the man of the family!" Kallid said, scrunching up his snout in fake-anger.

"Yeah, yeah," Sigmundurr said. "I get it already. And then you get to have makeup sex. I'll be back in an hour."

"Close the door on your way out please!" Kreet called, and turned out the lamp.

In fact, an hour was overly optimistic, but it did give the two kobolds plenty of time to talk privately in the dark afterwards.

"We did a good thing today, didn't we Kally?" Kreet whispered while tracing her lover's outlines with a finger."

"I think so. But oh that was nasty! I wonder if we'll get in trouble though? I mean, with whoever built that wall."

"Probably," Kreet said, climbing on top of Kallid and straddling him. "But we've got the neighborhood on our side now anyway."

"Not exactly an army," Kallid said, a worried look on his face.

"Oh Kallid, we can't be scared of everything. Sometimes you just have to do what's right and take the consequences."

"I know. But I do worry a little. You're getting bigger down here. Rounder," he said, making circles on her abdomen.

"Yeah. I really wish I'd studied Ka'Plo's books longer. I hate to ask, but what do you know about our eggs? I've been around humans so long. At least you grew up in the company of other kobolds. I really don't know anything about what to expect!"

"I was from the oldest batch in my clutch before I was taken away, so I do recall a little of my younger brothers and sisters hatching. As best I recall, mother lay the eggs a week or two before they were hatched."

"Did she, like, lay beside them for warmth or anything?"

"I don't recall honestly, but I don't think so. I mean, she stayed with them a lot, but I don't think they needed her to be right there all the time."

"And after they hatched?"

"Oh, that I remember! They crawled all over her all the time. She used to laugh with them so much. We had to build a little pen for them, they had so much energy. And they ate like you wouldn't believe!"

Kallid's eyes had drifted off, and Kreet lay down across his chest, finding his tail and tangling it with her own.

"I never asked you about your family. What happened to them?"

"No idea. I was taken away from them by the Drow. Far away and too young to remember where I came from. But it wasn't terrible. It was routine and both me and my brother knew it would happen. We were told from our youngest age that we would be taken away, so we marched right off to training camp like the dutiful sons we were."

"But you miss them..."

Kallid's eyes turned to hers. "Of course I do. But there's nothing I can do about it. I don't know where they were, let alone where they are. If they're even still alive. Old kobolds are usually abandoned by the Drow when they've outlived their purpose. Abandoned kobolds either band together or die in the Underdark. But... as long as I don't know, I can still hope."

"Hope. That's a dangerous thing for kobolds."

"I know," he said, smiling at her. "But I have hope here."

"Me too," she said, and rolled off him to face the ceiling. She turned her gaze to the window and the stars beyond.

She felt Kallid lay his head on her lap and for a moment thought he might be thinking of sex again, but instead he just gazed at her belly from underneath, rubbing it lightly. It hadn't swelled so much that she couldn't see him below it yet, but it would. The rubbing felt good.

"What was your mother's name?" she asked.

She felt him shudder then, and felt a wetness that had nothing to do with sex beneath her belly.

"I don't remember," he cried quietly.

She held him and stroked his head.

"Pretty bad, huh?" he laughed through his tears. "I don't remember her name. I knew it when I was a kid, but mostly I just knew her as my Mother."

"Not so bad, Kally. Not so bad."

They stayed like that for a good while, a breeze blowing through the window and the random sounds of the human city around them. Kreet felt good. Sad, but good. The sadness would never go away completely, but what was done was done. In her were the seeds of a new generation of kobolds. A generation that, just maybe, would remember their parents' names.

They heard the stairs creak then and Sigmundurr spoke quietly through the door. Kallid quickly climbed up beside Kreet and they pulled the sheet over them. 

"Are you two decent in there?"

"Come on in Sig," Kreet called and the door opened.

"Smells like lizard sex in here," he laughed.

"Sig! You're not supposed to say that!"

"First thing we do," Kallid said, his eyes narrowing, "is get another room working!"


	26. My Bull (Kreet 58)

The next day turned into a whirlwind of activity. First they went all over the building, inspecting the worst of the rot and other building issues. The rain-barrels were thankfully intact except for one. But the roof itself had nearly collapsed and the third floor was simply unsafe. If left unchecked, it would eventually ruin the entire building.

However, it wasn't safe for Kreet and Kallid to wander the streets looking for builders to ask about the repairs. Yet downstairs there was a steady stream of people coming and going, primarily for the lavatories but Marge had made a large vat of soup and was making a bit of extra coin selling those for a copper per bowl.

Kallid had come up with a sign asking for people experienced in building repair, and they interviewed quite a few, settling on three men who were actively working on buildings in a more prosperous part of the city. Kreet particularly liked the foreman as he had been quite honest with what he thought it would cost for materials. Others had quoted amounts that were either ridiculous guesswork, or intentionally lowballing and sure to rise later. As for labor, all three happily shook their heads. 

"Payback," the foreman said. "For the sewers. But we can't afford to buy the materials for you. We should be done with our current job in three days. We can get started then."

"One problem though," Kreet said as they sat around a table with their bowls. "I really can't go out to get the materials for obvious reasons. In fact, I think I'm nearly stuck here around block 104 where the people know me now.

"Hmm," the foreman said, then he eyed Sigmundurr.

"I thought of that," Kreet said, guessing what that look meant. "But Sig doesn't know anything about such things."

"Oh, it's not that," the man replied. "I was just thinking how much we could use a man like that at our current site tomorrow."

Sigmundurr turned around at that, knowing he was being talked about.

"What, an honest day's work? Me? Sorry man, I'm an Adventurer!"

"Lifting buckets of plaster is quite an adventure," the foreman smiled.

"What are you getting at?" Kreet said, cocking her head to the side.

"If your man here could be persuaded to help us out - just for a day - I could be persuaded to borrow a cart, buy your supplies, and bring them here tomorrow after 

Kreet turned to Sigmundurr. "What do you say Sig? It wouldn't hurt you to do one day's work in your entire life, would it?"

"What time?" Sig asked, his eyes narrowing but knowing it was going to be absurdly early.

"Sunrise. We'll stop by and pick you up on our way."

"Oh. Alright. But just one day. I wouldn't want people to start talking about the day-laborer Sigmundurr! It would ruin my reputation!"

Kreet hopped off her chair and gave Sigmundurr a sincere hug. "Thanks Sig. Thanks for everything."

"Oh, now - get off me. That'll ruin my reputation too you know."

"Alright, it's a deal. You can stack the stuff up in the courtyard out back," Kreet said, shaking the man's hand. "Wait here, I'll go get the money."

"What?!" the foreman asked as if she'd said something outrageous. "You have that kind of money here? We're talking over a hundred gold!"

She nodded her head hesitantly.

"Gods, you're in trouble Kreet," he said. "If people knew you had money like that in here, this place would be ransacked tonight. Samuel... Bart, don't you dare whisper one word of this to anyone. I'm serious. Not even to your wives, and Bart - especially not to your cousin!"

"I give you my word. My toilet's working too now," said the one known as Bart. "But really, little kobold, you really can't let people know that around here!"

"Well, okay. Fine. But then how do I pay you? How do you pay the suppliers?"

"Credit. It's like an honor system. You just pay me, like, one gold now and you keep paying me till it's paid off. It's what I do for the supplier too. Really, as long as nobody skips town or stops paying, it's a great system. The supplier gets bigger sales, we get everything up front. Again, as long as everyone is trustworthy, it works great. And after what happened yesterday, we know we can trust you. Nobody would have gone down in that sewer that was planning to leave soon! Of course, there's some interest..."

By the time the transaction was concluded, both Kreet and Kallid had learned one hell of a lot that she didn't know before about how business was conducted in the city. When finally the three workmen rose, she shook the foreman's hand and thanked them for their honesty and charity.

"Not a problem, Kreet. But you do what I said - hide that money where nobody knows about it. You hear me? Nobody! Sigmundurr is a strong man, no doubt, but he can't be everywhere, and he's got to sleep sometime. You do not want it getting out that you've got a hoard of gold in here!"

Kreet had stashed the money away in some rafters within the hour.

And then they really got to work. The foreman had pointed out some timbers and loose material that would all have to be cleared away before they could begin their work, so they started clearing out the rubbish that very afternoon.

By the time the sun had set, all three were exhausted. A section of the rooftop was still sturdy, though, so they climbed a ladder and sat there to rest while the cool of the evening came on and the stars came out.

"Well, we did a lot today I think," Kallid said "And Sig, you were great. We both know you did all the hard work, and you're going off to do more tomorrow for us. Sig, I don't know how to thank you enough. We'll miss you terribly when you're gone. If I didn't know how happy Eilistraee made you, I'd beg you to stay on."

"Oh, come on. Don't try and make me feel all mushy. I just hope everything works out for you two here. Right now the locals obviously love you. You'll need that."

"Us five," Kreet laughed. "Well, there's no telling what the future might bring, but at least right now it's looking pretty good. There's still a lot of work to do, but I think we've already made some friends around here. We didn't expect that when we got here!"

The three sat quietly and contentedly for a while, watching the stars come out and the moon rise.

"I understand you've already made a name for yourself here, Kreet," said a silvery voice behind them.

The three turned around. She stood surrounded by a dim halo, her dark skin as black as the space between the stars while her hair moved of its own accord, ignoring the cool breeze that flowed over the rest of them.

"Eilistraee," Sigmundurr said, rising from his seat and smiling from ear to ear. It was a look Kreet hadn't seen for a long time.

"Hi Sigmundurr," said the goddess. "Did you miss me?"

"For a pregnant goddess, you don't show it!" Sigmundurr laughed and took the goddess in his arms roughly, planting a kiss on her that looked for all the world like he wanted to eat her face.

That set her laughing. "Get off me you brute!"

"Never, if I have anything to say about it," he said, but released her.

"You'd best remember that. Goddesses can be awfully jealous people. As for the pregnancy, sorry Kreet but I get to control my form. Afraid you... Oh! Oh my! Three!"

The goddess knelt and touched Kreet's belly, feeling the lives within.

"I swear there were only two last time! Kallid, you amazingly fertile man!"

Kallid's eyes began to turn to violet.

"Well you helped. You and your damned moondance," Kreet said with mock offense. "We figure the third was conceived that night."

Eilistraee nodded. "That makes sense. Our presence tends to do things like that. Oh, this third one is going to be a special one too. You made an especially good one here, Kallid. He will grow to be a leader!"

"HEY!" Kreet said, taking her belly away from her hands. "We're not supposed to know the gender yet, let alone their future! Besides, I was there too you know."

"Sorry," Eilistraee said, standing back up. "I have to be careful what I say sometimes."

"Eilistraee," Sigmundurr said, his face now betraying a concern he hadn't shown before. "I... I think I need to stay a few more days with Kreet and Kallid."

"What's this? You'd rather stay here than come see the new home I've built for us?" she said, but her dark face displayed a bit of a smile. "I knew I'd stayed too long away from my bull. You've fallen out of love for me!"

"I don't think that's possible, Eilie," Sigmundurr said with a quite sincere look.

"Don't be silly, Sigmundurr. Of course it's not. Unless lured by another goddess. But you've made commitments, haven't you? Commitments to these two fine kobolds."

Sigmundurr nodded.

"I know. I'll return again when the moon is next full. You will be ready then. The fact is, it is I who missed you. We goddesses aren't used to denial - even self denial. I saw you three sitting here from up there and couldn't resist. And... there may have been another reason for me visiting you now. But you are already becoming a better man, Sigmundurr. To turn me down for your friends... that's not an easy thing to do for a mortal. I am impressed. My bull is more stubborn than I thought. Don't change, Sigmundurr. I love my bull."

Kreet didn't want to admit it, but she was relieved. Doing the work for the foreman wasn't that important, but she really didn't want to face Big Jake without Sigmundurr nearby. 

The two began another kiss that became more passionate as Kreet and Kallid watched.

Kreet tugged at Kallid's tail with her own. "Come on, Kally. This time _we_ need to go for a walk!"

The two climbed down the ladder and out into the street.

"You think we're okay to go alone out here?" Kallid asked while looking up and down the street.

"We can't stay locked up in the Baby Dragon forever. And it's still pretty early. Let's at least give it a try. Besides, I have a feeling that with her up there, we'll be fine."

Kallid followed Kreet's glance up to the roof. A glow of moonlight was coming from the rooftop. It wouldn't have been noticed by the locals.

They walked hand-in-hand slowly up the road towards the main road. The smell had already improved markedly, but it remained a pretty run-down area. Whole families sat on steps to take advantage of the night's coolness.

"Hi, Kreet!" called someone from a group on the other side. She waved and saw the hands of both a father and mother wave back. She wished she could remember their names.

"I'm Kallid!" called her mate with a hint of a laugh.

"Oh! And hi Kallid!" called the woman, understanding his intent even if her husband didn't

Two kids came running up to them. Kreet recognized one from the day they'd arrived. 

"You're Paula, right?"

She nodded rapidly, but didn't say anything. Kreet knelt and held out her hand to the boy. "And what's your name?"

From across the street, she heard the mother answer. "That's Cerne. They might be a little scared of you though."

"Hello Cerne," she said in as sweet a voice as she could. The boy took her hand and shook it, mimicking what he'd surely seen adults do."

"Well good to meet you Cerne and Paula," she said. But the boy removed his hand and held it out to Kallid, who dropped to his knees and shook the little man's hand as well. "Good to meet you Cerne. We live over there."

"I know. Baby Dragon," he said.

"That's right. We live in the Baby Dragon Inn. We're your new neighbors."

Paula cleared her throat.

  
"Yes Paula?" Kreet asked.

"Can I touch your tail?"

Kreet laughed. "Sure you can." 

"Ooo. It's slimy!"

"No. It just feels like it because it's smooth. Feel your hand. If it was slimy, you'd feel it on your other hand."

"Oh!" Paula said. "It's very smooth."

"Yes. It is."

"Are you a good dragon? My father says you're a good dragon."

"Well, I'm a kobold actually. But I'm a good kobold!"

The little girl suddenly gave her a hug, and Kreet returned it lightly.

"Sorry, Kreet," said the father. "She's a hugger."

"I don't mind. But thanks... for not being afraid of us."

"There's a lot worse people to be afraid of than you two. Welcome to the neighborhood!"

Kreet looked at Kallid. The boy was now giving him a hug too.

"Thanks!" was all she could think to say.


	27. Big Jake (Kreet 59)

Kallid and Kreet were sitting at a table early the next morning, having seen Sigmundurr off for his day of work.

“It’s like a dream, seeing a man like Sigmundurr off to do normal menial work,” Kreet said.

“I know,” Kallid agreed. “There are just some people who don’t fit into that mold. But it’s just for a day.”

“I hope he doesn’t mess up or go berserk.”

The two watched the morning grow brighter as the sun crept over the rooftops. Then finally Kallid got up.

“Well, I’m going to see if I can make breakfast myself today. Marge deserves a day off from that duty at least.”

“Good idea. I’ll be up on the roof working on sanding that wood down. MIght as well get to it while it’s still cool out.”

***********************

The sun had fairly set when Sigmundurr lumbered back into the Baby Dragon. 

“How was it?” Kreet asked as she came back from serving a table. 

Sigmundurr looked at her with glazed eyes while he plopped himself down in a chair.

“Men weren’t made to live that way,” he said, shaking his head. “All day, all the effort you can muster, and you never win! There’s always more to do! I tell you Kreet, I don’t know how they do it.”

“You didn’t get in trouble with the foreman did you?”

“Na. He’s a good enough guy. They’re unloading the building supplies out back now. I did my part. But oh, Kreet, it’s terrible! The worst is knowing that it will never end though. Day after day, same thing.”

“Well, not for you!”

“No, but the other guys, they tell me about their lives. Then I tell them about mine and they look up to me as if my life were their dream. Like my freedom to do as I please is something they can never attain. I told them my life is right outside the city gates, ready for them. And yet they will be back at it again tomorrow morning.”  
“Such is life in the city,” Kallid said as he pulled up a chair, pushing a large mug of ale towards Sigmundurr. “At least they aren’t slaves. They don’t have to go back at the end of a whip.” 

“Oh-ho! What’s this? Could it be this Inn actually has some decent ale now?” Sigmundurr said after downing half the contents.

“Marge brought a supplier in today. For now we’re just sticking with ale and beer. If we can start getting a customer base for that, we might think about the harder stuff. But I talked with some neighbors today and they say they can’t afford anything more than this, so I’m in no hurry,” Kreet explained.

“Smart girl,” Sigmundurr said, finishing off the rest and pounding the empty mug on the table top. “More!”

Kallid got up to refill it, but Kreet put her hand over the top.

“Now Sig, we don’t need a drunken Adventurer in the Baby Dragon tonight!”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled the mug out from underneath. “If I got drunk on two mugs of ale, I should hang up my Adventurer hat and become a day-laborer. Just one more - my word.”

He was true to his word, but he stayed in the bar area downstairs the whole evening, telling stories of his exploits and those of other people he’d met. A good sized crowd had gathered by the time Kreet called an end to it, and quite a bit of beer and ale were sold. But part of Kreet’s plan for the place was to shut it down before it got too late, and she did so despite the loss of income.

They were cleaning up when a loud bang came at the door. 

Kreet looked to Marge, who confirmed her fear. 

“That would be Big Jake,” she said.

“Not so big, I wager,” Sigmundurr said, grabbing his hammer.

“No, Sig. None of that,” Kreet said, almost reflexively. “Sit back down. If I need your help, you’ll know it.”

“Let me explain to him. He doesn’t know you,” Marge said, and unlocked the door.

The man outside was indeed big, but in no way rotund. Immediately Kreet realized that she was far from sure Sigmundurr could best this dark giant. His hair was as black as the night outside with a short black beard and moustache that joined it without break. But his eyes were bright and quick, glancing around the room as if instantly taking in any dangers.  
“So, these must be the kobolds I heard about. Is it true, Marge? Have you sold the Skink to these lizards?”

“Jake, you know how bad we were doing. I lost June the day they came in. Yes. They offered to buy it, and I took it.”

The man stepped in and closed the door behind him, then strolled around the room, touching the empty mugs that still sat waiting to be washed.

“Doesn’t look like you’re doing so bad,” he said.

Kreet stepped forward, “Hello, I’m Kreet. I’m…”

Big Jake interrupted her. “Pregnant. Yes, I see that. How much have you got, kobold?”

Marge grabbed the coffer where she’d put all the coins they’d made and handed it to Jake, but he knocked it aside, spilling the copper coins onto the floor.

“Not that,” he demanded. “How much have you got is what I asked.”

Sigmundurr rose at that. Big Jake glanced at him, then turned back to Kreet.

“I saw a lot of building materials out back. That’s good! You are investing in this place. The Band approves. It will bring more gold back. But things like that cost money. Buying out Marge costs money. If we wanted to, we could take everything you’ve got. You know that. Your pudgy bodyguard isn’t going to help you there. But we aren’t thieves. We prevent thieves!’

Sigmundurr lifted his hammer, and Jake opened his cloak revealing a wicked sword within without even turning his way.

“But like any good insurance broker, we need to know how much we’re insuring. That’s all.”

Kreet was listening, but she also saw Kallid from the corner of her eye. His eyes were turning red.

“I have about a hundred left,” she said, hoping to diffuse the situation. Jake acted supremely confident, but she knew that confidence wasn’t pure bravado. Not only was this man obviously experienced in this sort of thing, but he had a group behind him that the neighborhood respected and feared. Any violence against him, even if successful, would gain them nothing. But a kobold’s instinct was hard to fight, and Kallid now feared for his wife and children. He wouldn’t resist for long. He was more dangerous now than Sig. And worse, he didn’t think Big Jake was paying him any attention.

“A hundred eh? Cutting it close, wouldn’t you say? That won’t last long.”

“I’m hoping it won’t have to. I’d like to talk to your boss about that.”

“My boss? You think the leader of the Band is going to come into this place for you? You talk to me, lizard. I don’t ask much. Only half.”

“Half?” Kreet squeaked, suddenly focusing on the man again. “HALF? Jake, we’ve just started rebuilding this place! Even when the builders are done, we’ve got to rebuild the rooms, furniture, paint! Even with all I’ve got I’ll never be able to do everything I need to. Please, be reasonable!”

“Half is reasonable,” he said. “Consider it a business tax. You want to do business in the Band’s domain, you need to pay the tax.”

“Jake! I CAN’T! I need that money to get this place even close to profitable again. You’ll make a hell of a lot more if you just wait. What do you normally take? 10 percent? 20? I’ll keep the books and let you see them every month. Every week if you want. You’ll know exactly what we’re making. But let me get the place going first! Please! I was being honest with you. That’s all I’ve got!”

“Go bring me fifty gold. Now, kobold, before I tickle that belly of yours with this sword.”

Her eyes went wide at that. They didn’t kill, Marge had said. But would they consider killing her children actual murder? They were only kobolds, after all. Barely qualifying for personhood around here.

And then things happened fast. It was too much for Kallid, and Sigmundurr had been kept in check only by the thread of her command.

She saw Kallid run at Jake with murderous rage in his eyes, and Sigmundurr’s hammer swung amazingly fast. But the sword was out of Jake’s cloak even faster, arcing towards Sigmundur.

She had no time to think. She cast Hold Person on all three as quickly as she could. Sigmundurr’s hammer fell from his hand. Kallid stumbled and fell to the floor just inches from Jake’s foot. But Jake’s sword did not stop. It completed it’s arc, tearing flesh and bone in Sigmundurr’s chest. The blood began spurting from the wound instantly - a mortal wound.

But as horrific as that was, even more surprising was the blue flash that surrounded Jake at the spell’s touch. Kreet was unable to move. She didn’t understand immediately, but she was stuck - frozen in place.  
“Bad move, kobold,” Jake laughed. “Magic eh? Well that certainly complicates things. But not so much. You think we don’t know about magic here? I’ve got a reflection ward on me that you probably could only dream of. What are you, some kind of cleric?”

Her eyes grew larger, though she couldn’t move. As it was, she could breathe. Her heart could beat. But she could no more move than a statue could.

“Jake!” Marge screamed. “Leave them alone!”

“Shut up woman. You don’t even own this place anymore.” Jake said, stepping to Kreet and touching her belly with the point of his sword.

Kallid was inert on the ground now, but his face was pure horror and his eyes had gone so red they glowed on the floor around him.

“Pah. Clerics. It’s a damn good thing for you that you didn’t conjure anything more serious. I bet you don’t even have any counter wards. I could poke you right here. But I’ve done enough. Sorry about your bodyguard,” he said, removing the sword. Kreet looked to where Sigmundurr’s body lay bleeding out.

“I’m just here for collections. You’re the one who turned it violent. Keep your fifty gold. I think I’ll take this little lizard here instead. He’s cute.”

With that, he grabbed Kallid by the neck, holding him at arm’s length.

“Give me that rope, Marge. Not sure how long her spell will last, but I expect not very long. And this little guy looks fit to be tied. HA! Fit to be tied!”

Jake had Kallid trussed up in less than a minute, then slung him over his shoulder and walked out into the night.

“Oh Kreet, I’m so sorry!” Marge said, then ran out into the street. “Help! Can somebody help?!”

But Kreet stopped listening. The blood had slowed around Sigmundurr’s body. She still saw his chest rise and fall, but it wouldn’t continue much longer. She had no hope for help from these streets. His salvation lay in her hands, and she couldn’t move them. She could only watch him die.


	28. Recovery (Kreet 60)

Kreet ignored the loss of Kallid. There was nothing she could do about that right now. She knew the spell she'd managed to cast on herself wouldn't last long. It normally didn't need to. But every second was a heartbeat, and every heartbeat was more of Sigmundurr's blood on the floor.

She closed her eyes. The multiple Hold Person spells she had cast had nearly drained her, but she surely had something left. She'd never tried casting without being able to move, but her training had also taught her that the movements weren't strictly necessary. The power she wielded came from Pelor, not from within herself. But they were restricted by her own mortal shell - and faith. 

She just needed to have faith. She didn't have to be bending over Sigmundurr's dying body. She didn't have to actually speak the Prayer of Healing. She just had to believe those things weren't necessary. And she did pray. She imagined the bones restoring, the veins fusing back together, even the blood being restored to its proper place within him.

She felt her body collapse as the Hold Person spell released, but she didn't pay it any attention. She heard voices around her, but those too she didn't allow to enter her consciousness. The only thing she allowed was her sense of Sigmundurr's body and the light that was Pelor.

She felt the heart begin to beat stronger as the last of the veins closed up. She knew she was reaching her limit, and that she wouldn't be able to fully restore him. But she also knew it was enough. She had restored him enough. Nature would do the rest without her, eventually.

And then she was lost to exhaustion and sleep.

*****************************

The sun was well up the next day when her eyes opened with a start. She looked immediately at the bed beside her and saw Sigmundurr there. Someone had wrapped his chest in a bandage. That was good. She knew she hadn't had the power to restore the wound completely.

What wasn't good was that she had not been dreaming. She sat up and looked beside her. Kallid was still gone.

"Marge!" 

Sigmundurr groaned in his bed, but Marge came in along with another man she didn't recognize.

"Oh thank the gods! We didn't know what happened to you!"

"Where's Kallid?" she demanded, not even looking at the other man.

"With the Band I expect," she said. "When I got back you were laying on the floor! But... Sigmundurr. I swear he was on death's door when I left. Is it true? Are you a Cleric?"

It annoyed Kreet that she had to explain again, but she did so quickly.

"Yes. Cleric of Pelor, third level. And who is this?"

"This is Dr. Stevens. He's our local doctor. He patched up Sig."

Kreet realized she was being rude and began to rise, but she quickly realized she was naked. She'd made that mistake too often, and didn't repeat it this time.

"Thank you Doctor,' she said, "I'd shake your hand but..."

"No problem, Kreet. I'm afraid I was pretty useless to help you though. I couldn't find anything wrong, and I've little experience treating kobolds. But my training says there shouldn't be all that much difference. What happened to you?"

"Me? Oh, nothing really. I was casting a healing spell on SIg when... well, to explain as best I can, I ran out of power. Just exhaustion really."

"I can't imagine that would be good for your children," he said, and sat on the bed beside Kallid. "Would you mind if I check them out?"

"Do you know anything about kobolds?"

"A little," he said, sitting on the bed beside her.

She lowered her blanket to just below the bulge that her lower abdomen had become. Still barely showing, but she'd lost the definition of her abdominal muscles in the slow expansion.

He put his ear against her, then pressed and repeated the procedure a number of times.

"All okay in there?" she asked when he'd finished.

"As far as I can tell, yes. Three apparently healthy kobold eggs forming. None broken," he said, putting her cover back. "And I should tell you, I'm not technically a doctor anymore."

"No?" she said, snatching the blanket over her breasts.

"Relax. I was a doctor, but I was - well, in your clerical parlance, I was excommunicated. But once a doctor, always a doctor in a crisis."

Kreet relaxed and nodded. "I understand that well enough. What happened?"

Dr. Stevens frowned at that and stood back up. "I murdered someone. Poisoned him technically. It's a long story. The circumstances were unusual. I'd rather not go into it. But as for you, I'd advise you to stay here for the day. Exhaustion would explain it. You need to get your reserves back before venturing out.

"And how's Sigmundurr?" Kreet asked.

"As far as I can tell, he's fine. He should be awake, but he's not. That's worrying. Apparently your healing spell did a good job. I practically just had to sew him up and bandage him."

Kreet wasn't going to express false modesty here. "He was at death's door. He doesn't want to come back. I dragged his body back, but I think his mind still wants to go on."

The doctor looked at her. "That's... not my area of expertise. Well, I live just a few blocks away. Marge, let me know if you need me again. I'll see myself out."

"Thanks Doc," Kreet said sincerely.

"Kreet," he said while at the door. "I'm just a normal doctor. I don't wield any magic, and I'm overwhelmed by the work I have here - under-the-table though it is. When all this gets sorted out, I could really, really use your abilities. Come see me."

Kreet nodded. When he was gone, she got up and put on her clothes.

"A good man?" she asked Marge.

"He's all we've got here. But yeah, he's pretty good. But why are you getting dressed, you're supposed to stay in bed. You heard him!"

Kreet looked at Marge, as if to say 'Do you really need to ask?', then pulled her bra on. Kallid had made another, but this was her first and her favorite.

"Would you mind?" she asked, turning her back to Marge. "Just loop the little hooks through the loops on the other side."

"Well, isn't that clever?" Marge said. "He did this?"

"Sure did! But it wasn't all that clever. The other one has the hooks in the front so I can do it up by myself. Now, how about you tell me where the Band has its headquarters?"

In the end, Marge drew a map, but Kreet refused to let her come along.

"No Marge, this is something I need to do on my own. They have my husband. I'm going to go get him back, and I don't need to worry about collateral damage."

"Kreet, you're just a kobold! And they know you're a cleric."

"I'm a 3rd level Cleric of Pelor. He is not going to allow me to fail, and I'm not leaving Kallid one second longer with them than I have to. I'm going to see this boss and get my husband back."

"Be careful, Kreet," Marge said sincerely and gave her a hug. "Don't forget, you're also carrying his children."

"And they will not be raised without their father!" she said, holding back the increasing rage she was feeling. "Sorry Marge. Could you leave me alone for a little bit? I need to meditate for a while."

When she had left the room, Kreet knelt beside Sigmundurr.

"I know how it feels, Sig. I've been there before. And I know somehow you can hear me. The light is everything. It is warm, it is good. The blackness is everything you can hate. It is pain, it is loss, it is hunger and death and evil. I don't blame you for wanting to go to the light. I dedicated my life to the light. But the darkness is life in this world. You will have eternity in the light, but I ask you as a friend - please come back to the darkness. In the scale of eternity, it is so little time I ask of you."

She felt him stir, and she put her hand on his shoulder.

"I need you, Sigmundurr. Kallid needs you. Eilistraee, in her own weird way, needs you, though I can't imagine why."

"I'm her bull," Sigmundurr said, his eyes still closed.

Kreet's eyes filled with tears, and she leaped on top of him.

"Thank you Sig," she said, while hugging him.

She felt his hand on her back, returning the hug, if a little feebly.

"And there wasn't no damn white light either," Sig said, and she released him.

"What was it?" Kreet asked, but the lustful smile that crept over his face she knew too well. 

"No. Nevermind. I don't want to know, do I?"

"You probably already know. Now come on, let's go get Kallid."

"Whoa! Hold on a minute. You're not exactly well yet, Sig!" she said, and as if on cue he winced at the wound healing under his bandages.

"Well then damn it, do your hocus-pocus and make me better!"

Kreet laughed, then immediately felt guilty. Somewhere Kallid was being held against his will or worse. She would laugh when she got him back. Instead she gently pushed Sigmundurr back down and closed her eyes - and did her 'hocus-pocus'.


	29. Gator (Kreet 61)

"Okay, so you're good with that, right?" Sigmundurr asked as they walked towards the address Marge had marked on her map. "No more of that god damned Hold Person spell or anything?"

"Not today," Kreet said. "Today I'm not a cleric. Today I'm Kallid's wife and mother of his children."

As if to emphasize her words, she smacked the rod she carried into her fist. It was supposed to be a closet dowel, but today it might have a different purpose.

"That's more like it," Sigmundurr smiled. "Still, I don't see why I couldn't bring my hammer."

"I thought about it, believe me. But we're going to be outnumbered Sig. I just got you back to full health. I'm tapped out. If they want to kill us, they'll be able to. I'm hoping that won't be their aim. Hell Jake could have taken me out last night. Their way is through intimidation and only occasional violence to enforce it. I think you were an aberration, and to be perfectly blunt, you did attack him first. Besides, that hammer might be great on a battlefield, but one-on-one against a swordsman and I think he'd beat you."

"He was quick, wasn't he? I'll keep that in mind."

"He may be their intimidation on the street, but that doesn't mean he's all bluster. You'll be on your own this time. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Have a little faith."

Kreet laughed at that, and she didn't even feel guilty. So much of her life had been left to blind faith. If nothing else, she had plenty of that. But this plan had nothing to do with Pelor.

They rounded the last corner and saw the building. Two stories. Not much for the headquarters of the ruling mob in the slums, but then it wasn't in the slums. But for the men standing in the courtyard, it could have passed for a decent middle-class tenement building. The streets didn't stink of garbage and shit here.

As they approached, two men ran inside the building, while three more stood menacingly along the road.

"Another one!" she heard one say.

"Shut up," said his comrade, and pulled a rather nasty looking hand mace from his belt.

As they approached, a man stepped out of the doors. A man they recognized. 

They stopped just in front of the men guarding the courtyard, who formed up shoulder-to-shoulder.

"I expect you've come to talk to the boss then?" Jake said from behind the toughs in front. "Or maybe you just want to buy your little scaly friend back?"

"Actually, neither," Sigmundurr said, and the eyes turned to him. 

Kreet turned into a whirl of motion as soon as the attention had shifted off of her. The first man's head caved to her staff before any of them were even aware an attack was underway. The staff only rebounded back the other way as Kreet shifted the staff's angle and brought it against the next man's shin. He went over like a bowling pin, but the third man was still watching Sigmundurr for some sign of attack. But Sigmundurr just stood with his arms crossed, grim faced and watching the carnage unfold.

The man on the ground leaped unexpectedly at Kreet, arms out and screaming. Kreet backed off, preparing for the impact. But before he hit, she rolled over on her back, her hind legs foremost and talons fully extended. He couldn't stop if he'd wanted to.

Most of him travelled backwards at a greater speed than he'd been going forwards after her kick was complete. Between her muscled legs and an even more powerful push from her tail, he sailed through the air as if launched from a catapult. Most of him. He left a streamer of guts and blood in his wake as he began screaming and rolling on the ground after he landed. 

This finally got the third man moving, but he didn't swing the mace as expected. Instead he threw it at her. She moved aside, striking at it with her staff, but it did graze her shoulder. But it had bought him time, and the twin daggers he held looked terribly sharp. She managed to bat one away as he closed on her, but then she had to drop her staff and caught the remaining arm with both of her own.

For a split second she saw Jake running towards her, but the shadow of Sigmundurr interposed itself, and she concentrated on keeping the dagger from her neck. Her arms were strong, but it took both of them to counter the man's single arm as his other arm wrapped around her - pulling her towards the knife. 

She rolled, using her tail for leverage, but he never stopped the steady pressure and it was clear she couldn't shake him off. Her feet were unable to get an angle as she tried to kick his back uselessly. He was too close now. Her claws were useless as she used every ounce of energy just to keep the blade away. 

He pulled back, and shoved the dagger again, trying to shake her grip - but she knew she dare not let go and held his wrist away from her throat for dear life. Then she had an idea. Her feet were useless. Her claws were occupied. But she had another weapon.

Suddenly she pulled the dagger towards her, but to the left, letting it slide past her neck. It may have nicked her shoulder, but the result was what she'd hoped. His neck was now so very near, and her snout was much longer than his flat face. She opened her mouth and clamped it shut again, completely around his unprotected neck. She felt her sharp teeth engage in flesh and bone and a wet scream began.

The dagger fell away, as he released her, grabbing both sides of her snout and trying desperately to pry her jaws apart. She'd been called Gator before, and often. She was no alligator, but there were enough similarities. Her snout could be held shut by very little force. But opening it by main force - that would take superhuman strength. Her opponent didn't' have superhuman strength. His fingers scrabbled at her snout, but she did not relent.

She felt the pulse of his jugular vein on her tongue between her teeth. It would have been trivial to release and bite down again, breaking that tender lifeline. But she just held where she was, effectively choking him. After a minute he went limp and she released him, climbing out from underneath his body.

He still breathed. That, at least, was good. If the Band employed magic users that could cast a reflection spell on Jake, they should have a healer. But that was their problem.

She looked up. Jake was gone and Sigmundurr still stood in front of her, blocking her from the two archers that had appeared on the roof. But they hadn't fired. Yet.

She stood up, her clothes bloodied now, but it wasn't her blood. She walked over and picked up her staff.

"It's hot out here, Sig. Let's go sit under the porch in the shade."

They did so, effectively preventing the archers from seeing them.

"Gosh!" she called out to any that might be listening,"these guys sure could use a healer! If only one could come out and treat them!"

She heard some talking through the door.

"We've got your lizard!" she heard Jake call through the door. "Shall we start sending him out piece by piece?"

"Oh, come on Jake. I'm tired. Send your healer out here. One's dead but the other two could be saved if you hurry. I won't bother your healer."

The door opened and a man walked out. Kreet was surprised to see the symbol of Avandra on his robe. She'd expected much worse.

"Cleric of Avandra, go to your work," she said.

"I'd heard you were a Cleric of Pelor," he said, though he didn't stop his stride as he crossed first to the disembowelled man, who had blessedly stopped his screaming. "Is this what your god has taught you?"

"This has nothing to do with my god. This is a rescue of my husband," she said. "Besides, doesn't Avandra teach that luck favors the bold? This has more to do with your god than mine."

He looked up from his patient for a moment. "You know something of Avandra beyond the insignia. Go on. Fetch your husband. The door is still open."

Kreet and Sigmundurr looked. Jake stood in the doorway, but he stepped inside, leaving the door for them.

Sigmundurr shrugged. "Why not?"

Kreet groaned with muscle ache as she got up, and Sigmundurr helped her to her feet. She looked down at herself. She must have looked like she just stepped out of a horror story. She picked a piece of flesh from between her teeth and entered the building's darkness.

Jake gestured towards a room beyond. Inside was a large circular table surrounded by lavish chairs - the most lavish on the far side. A boss' chair if ever she'd seen one.

"Where's Kallid?" Kreet said before she sat down.

"After you meet with my boss," Jake said, eyes squinting.

"I don't think so," Kreet said, wiping some gore from her shoulder onto the pristine table. 

"No, I think we need to see what you've done with him first. We need to know what kind of people we're dealing with. Let's see how you treated my husband, then we'll see if we can come to any sort of agreement - or if we have to kill you all."


	30. Reality (Kreet 62)

“Damn it Jake, go get the fucking kobold and tell Edard and Sam to bring in the boys from the yard!”

“What about Grin? Is he dead?”

“Was. I had to use a fucking Raise Dead spell on him and he’s going to have one hell of a headache! Now go on. Get the kobold.”

Kreet looked at Sigmundurr and then both turned when the cleric walked in and sat in the large chair across from them.

“Yes, well you’ve certainly made a mess of things, haven’t you?”

“Raise Dead did you say? Are you a necromancer?” Kreet said, her eyes wide.

“Necromancer? Oh no, no. Just used a scroll. Damn expensive those things though. You’ll owe me for this!”

“Owe  _ you _ ? You stole my husband! Your man would have killed my friend here if I hadn’t been able to heal him!”

“I didn’t. That was Jake’s idea. A bit of a loose canon is Jake. But he gets the jobs done,”

Kreet stood up, incredulous. “Are you telling me that a  _ Cleric of Avandra _ is the leader of a bunch of lowlife scum who roust people for money in the slums of the Royal City?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call myself the leader exactly.”

Sigmundurr stood up beside her, “And you walled up the sewers to make your little guard-free zone for your bandits too I bet!”

“Now hold on, sit down. What are you talking about? Jake just got overzealous. Didn’t you tell him you had a hundred gold or so?”

Kreet sat back down and motioned for Sigmundurr to do the same. “Well, yes. He asked.”

“And you told him the truth? What kind of naive backwater cleric are you anyway?! I bet you haven’t got a copper more either. You really did tell him the truth, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes. Pelor…”

“Pelor. Yeah, that sounds like something a backwoods Cleric of Pelor would do. Let me tell you, little cleric, you’re not in the woods anymore. You’re in the city, and the sooner you learn what that means, the better off everybody will be! Now what’s this about walling up the sewer?”

Kreet was dumbfounded. Here she was, soaking in gore and blood and this man was somehow trying to make it all  _ her _ fault?

“I hear you had a bunch of building supplies delivered. What do you expect my man to think? You’re practically screaming ‘Big Gold Hoard Here!’. You might as well put up a sign!”

Kreet couldn’t even form a proper response. She just sputtered, incredulous.

Sigmundurr spoke up for her. “Doesn’t matter. Your man gutted me and kidnapped Kreet’s husband! Are you saying that’s  _ normal _ ?!”

“Well, no…”

Jake brought in Kallid then. His hands were bound together, as was his snout, but he didn’t look any the worse for wear. But his eyes were as red as they’d been the other night. But when he saw Kreet, they instantly began shifting towards blue again.

“Unbind him,” Kreet demanded.

“Don’t recommend it boss,” said Jake. “Practically scratched Gar’s arm off last time.”

“He was seeing red. Instinct,” she explained. Look at his eyes. Do they look red to you?”

“Fuck me,” Jake said. “They’re almost blue!”

“Don’t know much about kobolds, do you?” Sigmundurr said.

“Go on, untie him,” said the leader of the Band.

Jake did as he was told, keeping Kallid at arm’s length as much as he could.

“Kreet!” Kallid croaked, his voice gone almost hoarse.

Jake finished the rope tying his hands together, and Kallid took advantage to cause a vicious scratch down his arm, to which Jake responded with a slap against Kallid’s head that sent him to the floor.

“Damn it, get the hell out Jake. Close the door behind you and get a bandage for that. As if we haven’t gotten enough blood on my rug already!”

“Fucking kobold!” he said before he left, missing a kick as Kallid scrambled up and over to Kreet and Sigmundurr.

The door closed with a thud.

“Now look,” the Cleric started. “We got off on the wrong foot, obviously. But it might be in our best interests to see what sort of accommodation we might be able to make. I’ve had some people in your neighborhood report to me. They like you, Kreet. I don’t  _ have  _ to be your enemy. Really I don’t.”

“First things first… wait. What’s your name anyway?”

“I am Avelyn Reed, and I should also let you know that in addition to being the nominal ‘leader’ of the Band, I am also a Royal Advisor to the throne. I can make things very difficult for you, if you make it necessary to do so. But I hope...”

“Shut up Avelyn Reed,” she said, and turned to her husband and hugged him fiercely. “Kally, are you all right? How did they treat you?”

“Don’t touch me, Kreet. I need a bath,” he croaked.

“What did they do?”

Kallid closed his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it, Kreet. I’m okay.”

Kreet shot Avelyn a hard look, and Sig stood, ready for any command she might offer.

For his part, a ward went up around him instantly as he raised his hands. “Now hold on, Kreet. You have to understand, my men aren’t really under my control at all. Mostly I just keep the guards off of them. But listen to me before you make snap judgements.”

“Really Kally? You’re okay?”

He nodded, patting her hand. “I promise, I’m okay. Just… a little abused.”

“I swear, Avelyn, whether or not you have control over your men, I’m not going to let this go unpunished.”

“Perhaps. But let’s talk about the future. I understand you’re pregnant. And if you have plans to raise your children here, you’re going to have to come to terms with the Band one way or another. If it turns into a blood feud, you’re going to lose in the end. Someone’s going to be walking down the wrong street at the wrong time of day, and they’re going to come to an unfortunate end - with neither me nor you to revive them. Please, we can stop this now, or it can go on for years. It’s your choice. Ask your god, if you need to. The Band is big though. Jake is just the enforcer in your neighborhood. There are many more, and you won’t know them on sight. Think about it.”

Kreet looked at Kallid and tried to kiss him, but he turned away. “Not now, Kreet. Sorry!” he croaked, and he turned away from her.

She turned back to Avelyn and sat back in her chair, bidding Sigmundurr to do the same.

“I do want to stay here,” she admitted. “But not under the Band’s thumb. Let’s make a deal - keep the band out of Block 104 and all the neighboring blocks around it. It’s no-mans land for the Band. Okay?”

The glowing ward went down. 

“I can do that. In exchange?”

“Fuck exchange,” she spat.

“Kreet, let me explain how things are in the slums where you live. There are no guards there. They don’t go down there anymore. Haven’t for years. No sanitation crews either. As far as the rest of the city is concerned, it’s no-man’s land. Only the poorest of the poor live there. But have you seen any violence while you’ve been there? Okay, Jake being an exception. There isn’t. There are no robberies, no rapes, no murders. The area is relatively safe, in fact.”

“Jake is a pretty big exception,” she said, but let him continue on.

“Understood. But ask your neighbors about what life was there before the Band came to be. They will tell you. It’s bad, but it could be so much worse. It  _ was  _ worse - much worse.”

“But now you extort…”

“AND they don’t pay taxes to the city! Yes, we lean on them for money, to pay the Band for protection. Ask anyone up here in the guarded sections how much they pay in taxes! You’ll find the Band takes much  _ less _ than they pay up here! Yes, it’s extortion. They wouldn’t pay anything if they could help it. I know that, they’re poor people. But it costs to keep them safe. It really does. They are better off with the Band than without us.”

“Prove it.”

Avelyn smiled. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. Prove it. Keep the band out of the slums.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all.”

“For one month?” Kreet asked, not expecting such an easy capitulation.

“I’ll do you one better, Kreet the Cleric of Pelor. I’ll keep the Band out of the slums totally - until you  _ ask _ me to bring them back! And you will. You don’t know what chaos is. You will find out, and find out quickly. Are you sure that’s what you want? Your neighbors might not be so enthralled with you when they’ve learned what you’ve caused.”

For the first time, Kreet wasn’t sure. She’d never really lived in a place like this. Could he be right? No guards, no Band? Some would call it freedom, but…

“Now, about the sewers. I’d heard rumors they’re working again. Is that true? Did you have something to do with that?”

Kreet was on firmer ground here. “Yes. We went down and found that the sewers had been walled up. I assume your people did that?”

“Now why the hell would we do that?”

“To create the slums that you rule, of course!”

“Kreet. Again, ask your neighbors. That area became what it is long before the Band formed to help police it. If you think we blocked up the sewers to cause that, you give us far more credit tha

n we deserve. We’re not that clever. But it is something very interesting to know. Be careful with that though, Kreet. If what you say is true, it would take someone a lot more powerful than me to make that happen. You’re already starting to draw attention to yourself in the city. You might get more than you expect.”

“Alright. You keep the Band out of the slums. If we want you back, I’ll let you know.”

Avelyn nodded. “Deal. But you will, and sooner than you think. They’ll demand it, and you will too. Are we done here?”

“Not yet,” Sigmundurr said, standing up. “I have a date with Big Jake. If you’ve gotten your courtyard clear by now.”

“More bloodshed? I suspect your Cleric here doesn’t have enough to revive you a second time in as many days.”

“She won’t need to.”

Avelyn nodded. “So be it. Big boys can fight without my approval or disapproval. What’s your name again?”

“Sigmundurr. Not Big Sigmundurr. The name is big enough.”

“Alright Sigmundurr. I doubt you’ll believe me, but I wish you luck. Jake overstepped his bounds last night. However, I warn you that I don’t think you’ll win - and I won’t be healing you afterwards.”

“I get it. Fresh out of scrolls too?”

Avelyn held his hands out, “So sorry. They’re kind of in reserve. You can see yourselves out.”

They left the room, and found Jake right outside. Sigmundurr smiled.

“Would you like to dance outside, Big Jake?”

Jake laughed. “Again? How many times do I have to kill you, fat man?”

“Just once more,” Sigmundurr said, and held the door open.

Kreet held Kallid’s hand, but she noticed his eyes had turned red again - a smouldering red when he looked at Big Jake. She squeezed his hand and he turned back to her.

“Sorry,” he croaked again.


	31. Crushed (Kreet 63)

"You're sure you want to do this Sig?" Kreet whispered to her friend. "You don't have to."

Sigmundurr patted her head. "You keep your spells out of this and let old Sigmundurr have some fun."

"Where's your hammer, fat man?" Jake taunted when they were all back in the courtyard. 

"Don't need it," Sigmundurr replied, turning away from Kreet and Kallid. "I suppose you still need that pigsticker though."

Jake laughed, unbuckled the scabbard and tossed his sword away. "Pig sticker? Sounds about right. Now come on, I haven't got all day."

Kreet noticed the archers were back on the roof. She looked to Avelyn, but he was watching the fighters from the porch. She decided she'd have to trust him to some extent. She sincerely hoped that trust wouldn't be misplaced.

And then the two crashed together. Immediately Sigmundurr butted his head against Jake's nose. The crack was audible around the courtyard and Jake staggered back.

But Sigmundurr was not one to wait for his opponent to assess the damage. He rammed Jake at top speed full in the stomach, hurtling both to the ground. Jake began to pommel the sides of Sigmundurr's head. In a few seconds it was obvious the blows were having an effect and Sigmundurr rolled away.

Jake was on his feet again before Sigmundurr rose, encircling the big man in a bear hug. Kreet could see the muscles on Jake's arms constrict, one arm around Sigmundurr's neck. But Sigmundurr didn't allow him time to complete the choke. Instead he rolled over, sending Jake over his back.

However Jake didn't stay down long enough for Sigmundurr to take advantage of it. He lashed out with a kick that sent Sigmundurr dazed and hunched over. As Jake closed in, SIgmundurr released a sudden, unexpected burst of speed and the two collided again - this time with Sigmundurr's head butting Jake just below the rib cage. His greater momentum carried Jake all the way to the wall of the next building, where the two came to a sudden stop.

Jake was obviously struggling, having lost his breath. Sigmundurr stepped back and began his own pummelling of Jake's face, now pinned against the wall. Jake managed to sidestep unexpectedly though, leaving Sigmundurr to punch a brick wall with his left fist. Kreet winced at the sound. The hand went limp as Jake spun Sigmundurr around, now pinning him against the wall.

But before he could get in the first retaliatory blow, Sigmundurr shoved his hand deep inside Jake's trousers.

Jake's eyes went wide. Kreet glanced to Avelyn again, not sure if this was somehow against any rules. But the cleric just winced. The archers too remained still.

Jake began to scream and tried to pull away, but Sigmundurr's left arm - broken hand or not - held him fast. His other hand closed around two very sensitive bits.

"Your cleric may heal you, Big Jake," Sigmundurr said between ragged breaths, "Even if I kill you, he'll probably revive you. But he won't be able to heal your memory, I wager."

The screaming began again and Jake lost all motor control. Sigmundurr let him fall to the ground, releasing his grip. The hand he retrieved from out of Jake's pants was bloody. He wiped his hand on the still-wailing Big Jake who was doubled over and rocking like a child.

"He's all yours, cleric," Sigmundurr said, spitting blood to one side.

Avelyn rose from his chair and walked to where Sigmundurr stood, defiant. 

Suddenly Kreet realized that at this moment, all three of them were vulnerable. Sigmundurr may have won the fight with Jake, but he was in bad shape, and they were definitely in easy range of the archers. If Avelyn so chose...

Instead, he put his hand over Sigmundurr's ruined left hand. Kreet didn't fail to appreciate that he was healing Sigmundurr while his own man lay writhing in extreme agony only feet away.

"Avandra favors the bold," he said simply. "Now go, and watch the disintegration of your slum. Come to me again when you're ready for the Band to return. I've got other matters to attend to."

Kreet pulled at Sigmundurr. "Come on Sig. Let's get out of here before he changes his mind!"

Sigmundurr took one last look as the cleric knelt over Big Jake.

"My head hurts too, you know!" he called back, but Kallid grabbed his other hand and they pulled Sigmundurr out of the courtyard.

***********************

Back at the Baby Dragon, Sigmundurr was taking liberal doses of liquid pain killer while Marge tried to keep him still in order to try and clean some of his wounds. A nasty cut on his forehead was still weeping blood that trickled down to his nose.

"Ah, but you should have seen the other guy," Sigmundurr laughed.

  
Kreet peeled his shirt off. The bruises were just beginning to show. Oddly enough, his left hand - which had certainly been broken - now looked to be just about the only part that was completely unharmed. 

"Thank you, Sig," Kallid said.

Everytime he spoke, Kreet winced in sympathetic pain. It sounded like he had ruined his vocal cords, and she was reminded again of the ordeal he must have gone through.

"Marge, you've got this. I'm taking Kallid out back to the bath."

The old lady nodded, but Sigmundurr grabbed Kallid's hand.

"Here," he said, handing Kallid the bottle of surprisingly good hard liquor. Marge had produced it when they'd returned.

Kallid smiled weakly and nodded to Sigmundurr, then proceeded to take a quite-healthy swig.

"Thanks, Sig," he croaked, handing the bottle back.

Kreet walked with Kallid out back. "I don't think that's good for your voice, Kallid," she said, but she realized that sometimes a little alcohol actually is a good medicine.

She stripped him down and had him stand over the rainwater downspout in the tub as she opened the spigot a little. She handed him a bar of Marge's lye soap, which he began to use vigorously. She looked away while he cleaned himself.

"That was stupid, coming to get me Kreet," he said over the splashing of the water. "Your babies are mine too, you know."

"And they'll need their father," she replied. "Don't talk too much. Your throat needs to heal. I'll set it right as soon as I can."

"Thanks," he said, and she heard a choked sobbing in his voice.

She turned off the water. Kallid was crying. She stepped into the tub, not bothering to remove her clothes. She sat with him in the bath and held him.

"You're okay now, Kally," she soothed.

"It's not that," Kallid whispered to the dripping of the water overhead. "I... just don't think anyone would ever have done that for me... before."

"Well, you've got me now."

Kallid turned to face her. "I do. Right?"

She kissed him, long and passionately. It wasn't a native kobold expression of love, but both had lived among non-kobolds long enough to appreciate it. His crying stopped.

Later they got out of the tub.

"I think we're going to need another towel," Kallid laughed, and he took her wet clothes off. 

Instead they just shared the one. It was silly and ridiculous, but it did seem to lighten Kallid's mood.

"At least you didn't have to fight," Kallid said as Kreet took her turn with the towel.

"Um..." Kreet began, then thought better of it. "Yeah. So how are we going to go back in? You want to put your clothes back on?"

"No way. Burn them." Kallid snarled.

"You know, this towel isn't going to be big enough for both of us, and there are customers inside. Despite what you saw back in your bar, I'm not an exhibitionist! Well, except for you."

That made Kallid smile genuinely. "You take it and bring me back some new clothes, how about?"

She nodded and wrapped herself up.


	32. Interlude (Kreet 64)

"So they just let you go?" asked Marge, incredulous. "That doesn't sound like the Band at all!"

"The head guy - some cleric named Avelyn - thinks we'll come begging for them to come back. For now he agreed to stay out of the slums."

"WHAT? The Band is gone?" asked a man Kreet knew as John at the next table.

"That's what they said," Kreet nodded.

John looked to his drinking buddy. "Gone. Think it'll go back to the old days?"

His friend shrugged. "Probably. Better get some weapons."

"Does it get that bad around here?" Kreet asked, turning her chair to face the locals.

"It was pretty bad," John said. "Ullie was here longer than me. Tell her Ullie."

"Ah, back in the old days. Before the Band? Yeah, it was bad. Women daren't go outside 'cept the whores, and they needed bodyguards to get out to where the rich people lived. Had gangs back in those days. Hell, I was in one. Everybody was. If you weren't in a gang... well, one way or another you'd get in one. Either that or you left the city completely. It was tough though. One gang would get the upper hand for a while and you'd think you were safe, then BAM! A couple of the main guys would get themselves killed and then you were on the wrong side."

"And the Band helped?"

"Oh yeah. They weren't official, mind you. The King's too smart for that. But when they came in they didn't mess around. They knew the gangs. A lot of 'em were recruited from them. So they knew what to look for. If they saw a gang member out after dark... well, we didn't see em again. It didn't take long for everyone to see where it was heading. At one time the gangs might have managed to take em on if they'd joined together. But there was too much bad blood between the gangs. I swear they were all gone in a month or two. Gone or joined the Band. I can tell you we were damn glad too."

"Glad to have the Band?!" Kreet asked.

"Hell yeah. They're thugs too, but they don't kill you for a fucking copper. You mind your business, give em what they ask for and they leave you alone. Look, it's sure as hell not the Guard, but compared to the days of the gangs... yeah, it's better than that."

Kreet looked to Sigmundurr. Kallid had fallen asleep when they got back to their room, and she'd left him sleeping fitfully. She worried about him, but he needed sleep.

"So, you think things will go back to the bad old days?" Kreet asked John, who shrugged.

"Who knows? Probably. Being able to crap in your own house is great, Kreet, but it doesn't really change things much. There's still hardly any people working here. Most go into the rich parts of town and do whatever they can to make money. Thieves and whores we mostly are here. Not out of choice mind you, but you gotta eat. You gotta feed the kids, you know?"

Kreet sighed and nodded. "No one's tried to rob me yet."

Ullie spoke up then. "You're one of us. We don't steal from our own. But out there... well, like John said, you gotta eat."

"Should I talk to Avelyn?" Kreet asked, realizing it might be inevitable.

The two men looked at each other. John shook his head. "Not yet. Since the Band's been around, we've gotten to be a fairly close community. I dunno, but maybe we'll avoid falling back into the old ways."

"Do me a favor. Spread the word about the Band. Maybe if everyone understands, we can stop things from falling apart without them."

"Kreet, we're a poor people around here. But everyone here is still here because we're tough. Gotta be. We'll last a while anyway. If not... well, bringing the Band back in isn't going to be that bad. They're an evil we've learned to live with."

*************************

The next day Kallid woke Kreet early. 

"You okay?" she asked through sleepy eyes.

"Yeah," he said and she immediately remembered his voice. 

"Wait a sec," she said, and touched his neck. She closed her eyes and felt the power flow gently from her to him. He allowed her to work her skill.

"There. How's that?"

Kalled cleared his throat. "It's... UHM. Oh, I think it's good. You're a great healer!"

"Not great. Good though. Only level three, but I can still help. Now what is it, Kally? What's got you up so early?"

He sat beside her and took one of her hands in his. His hands were smaller. Not terribly much, but his talons hadn't grown out much yet either.

"I've got to be able to live here too, Kreet. You've got... you know, things you can do. I can't do much of anything. I can pour drinks. I can make love to you. But I can't protect you. I can't protect our children."

"Oh Kally, you shouldn't worry..."

But Kallid interrupted her. "I know I'll never be like Sig. But hell, Marge could kick my ass. I need to get better, Kreet. In the Underdark I knew my way around. The Dark elves ran the place, and us kobolds knew what we needed to do to survive. But that never involved actually fighting. We'd never stand a chance. So we became servants."

"Kally..." Kreet started, but Kallid held a finger to her mouth. 

"No, let me talk. I know you don't expect anything like that from me, but I expect it from me. Our kids need me to be stronger. I've been thinking about this for a while. I can work the bow on my own. And I promise you I'll get good at it. But I won't always have a bow handy either. I need your help, Kreet. You've been taught as a cleric. I need you to help me learn how to fight. Really fight."

Kreet nodded. And she knew he was right. If she was rich and could live in the nice part of town with nightly guards and neighbors that respected your rights he could have just remained a bartender. An oddity here of course, but he could have gotten by. But here, in the slums of the Royal City... No. He did need to be able to fight. 

"Come on, Kally. Let's go out into the courtyard."

Sigmundurr came out later and sat watching. Kreet was glad he didn't mock Kallid. It would have been easy to. Kallid really knew nothing of fighting at all. She winced internally at her own memories of her training years ago with her master and Brand every time she felled him. But she also knew it was a necessary part of proper training. There would be bruises - hidden beneath his scales, but no less painful for that. 

She helped him back up and gave him the stave back. "Sorry Kallid. You forgot the tail swipe."

He smiled weakly and gasped between breaths, "Um... can we stop for a while?" 

"Let's call it a day, Kally. Your muscles aren't going to get stronger in just one day. It's going to take a long time. Maybe you can start practicing your archery instead?"

Kallid nodded. "I think that's probably a good idea. I'm pretty worn out."

"I'll go help Marge with the stew. I'll come back to get you when it's ready," she said, kissing him again. "I know it hurts, Kally. Believe me. But it will get better, eventually."

"Promise?" he asked her, not letting her go.

"I promise."

He went and picked up his bow and arrows as she left to go back inside.

"Sorry Kallid," Sig laughed as he got up and followed Kreet. "I don't know anything about playing bows and arrows! You're on your own."

He shrugged and went to the far end of the courtyard to set up a target.

Once inside, Kreet turned back and peered out a window, watching her husband for a while. He could barely pull the bowstring back, and the arrows didn't make it halfway to the target. She watched till he gave up and sat down, sobbing gently with his back to her. She wanted to go back out to him, to reassure him. But she knew this was something he had to handle on his own.

"Plucky little guy," Sig said quietly beside her. She jumped a little, not knowing he was still there.

"Worn out from our workout. He'll get it."

"Yeah."

Sig went to open the front doors. The workmen were still working on the building, and they had no rooms to rent yet, so they just opened the barroom around midday. There were a dedicated group of neighbors that they could rely on awaiting the opening though, and not all of them were alcoholics.

She looked back to the window again. She could see her husband had picked up the bow again and had gone back to practicing. He'd brought the target much closer.

"I shouldn't have brought him here," she thought. "There he is, a lone kobold, in a human city - in the rough part of town. I've taken him from the only home he's known, forced him to handle responsibilities he has no idea how to handle, and gotten him kidnapped and worse. For what? Just so I can have him cuddle me at night?"

Then her hands went to her belly. It was definitely getting bigger now, and she felt the three in her womb. Yes, it was a hell of a lot to ask of the little guy... but she wasn't just asking it for herself. She had abilities, but she couldn't do it all by herself either. When these little babies hatched, she would need him.

She heard the clatter of another arrow hitting the bricks outside.

She needed him, and she loved him. He would suffer for that, but he chose to suffer - and despite all that he'd already gone through, he wasn't asking for anything less. She might not be able to lighten that burden, but there were things that she could do to show her appreciation. Wifely things. 

She smiled. Tonight she would make damn sure he knew how much she appreciated him, in any way he desired. He might be exhausted and bruised, but she could be careful.

"I'll make it all worth your while, Kallid. I promise," she whispered to the window as another arrow clattered to the bricks outside.


	33. Mob (Kreet 65)

"Is it true? You ran the Band out of the neighborhood?"

"Out of existence, I heard!"

The barroom was packed that night. It had been a week since the Band had stopped patrolling the streets, though she didn't advertise that it had been her actions that had caused it. Fortunately, at least so far the lawlessness hadn't ramped up too much. 

Marge had taken the slowly-but-steadily increasing money and invested in some quality food and drink, and was now acting as cook in the kitchen. Kreet was vaguely bothered by that. She didn't feel much like the owner of the place, but she couldn't fault Marge's business sense. Instead, Kreet was out mingling with the rather sizable crowd.

"Sort of. I didn't ask for it, though I've..."

Before she could finish, a cheer went up and mugs were raised. "To Kreet!"

Kallid had taken up his natural position at the bar, and she saw him raise a glass from the dishwater underneath and cheer her too with a half-clean empty mug. 

"Kallid!" she half-whispered. "Stop it! They won't be so happy when the criminals find their way back in!"

"Ha! Any criminals will probably be out-of-work Band-ers."

Kreet looked across the barroom as the locals settled back to their various conversations. Sure, they were happy now. What would they be saying a few weeks from now though? It was just a matter of time.

She felt the heavy hand of Sigmundurr slap her back, nearly sending her sprawling to the floor.

"Oh relax, You've done them two big favors girl. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Here, have a drink."

He handed her his own mug, but she pushed it away. "Have I? We still don't know who walled up the sewers. For all we know they could be walling it back up right now. As for the Band, I have a bad feeling that Avelyn was right."

"Well, damn it Kreet, if you won't celebrate then you might as well start thinking what to do about it."

"I have been. Think the King would see me? Maybe I could get him to send the City Guard in again?"

There were other patrons nearby that heard her.

"The King? Audience with a kobold?" laughed one. "Oh that's a good one!"

"I could just see it! King Ulther looking down his royal nose at a kobold!"

"Sorry Kreet," said another. "No offense, but kobolds... well, we know better of course. But the King barely sees his own people."

"I am one of his people now," she stated, though she certainly understood the man was probably right.

"Hey, if we all marched on the Palace..." said the woman across the table from the first man. "He'd have to see her, wouldn't he?"

"Yeah! HEY!" shouted the first man, and he stood up on the table. Kreet noticed it wobbling threateningly, but he managed to steady himself.  


"HEY! EVERYBODY!"

The room quieted down somewhat.

"Stand down before you fall down, John!" said another woman, but the man on the table ignored her.

"HEY! Why don't we all march up to the Palace with Kreet? She wants to see the King! Who's with me?!"

Kreet looked around alarmingly. Clearing up the sewers was one thing. Even getting the Band out of the slums - lucky as she'd been - was another. But leading a mob to the Royal Palace... That's the sort of thing that gets you beheaded!

"Now hold on!" she shouted. "Hold on! Wait, no! Look, thanks but the last thing I want to do is call that sort of attention..."

But the refrain began. "Kreet! Kreet! Kreet!" 

No one was listening to her.

She looked desperately to Kallid, but he could only shrug. She looked to Sigmundurr. 

"Well, you started this ball rolling. Looks like you're going all the way with it, girl."

She looked back at the crowd. Hands grabbed her and lifted her onto someone's shoulders. The crowd flowed out of the Baby Dragon and into the street.

Locals asked what was going on, and Kreet heard someone answer that they were taking Kreet to the Palace. Word spread quickly as the crowd grew and she was carried up the street. The crowd that flowed out of the slums was fast becoming a mob - exactly what she most feared. She looked around but couldn't see Sigmundurr or Kallid anywhere as she was carried along to shouts of "Kreet! Kreet!"

"I guess I'm along for the ride," she thought. "Wow, I really didn't want this!"

She looked skyward. "Pelor, please, please guide me here. This is getting too dangerous for me!"

The crowd marched up the streets through areas of the city she'd never seen before. She noticed the buildings becoming increasingly more grandiose. Heads peered out of windows and down balconies. She wanted to shout that they were a peaceful mob, but no one could hear her over the shouting anyway. And she did desperately want to believe they would be peaceful.

Then the palace came in sight as they rounded an incredibly wide street. It lay at the end of a grand road and could be nothing else. But what really worried her wasn't the impressiveness of the huge building, nor the iron fencing around it. No, her real worry were the soldiers standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of it. The mob outnumbered them ten-to-one. What she really feared was conflict.

Kallid struggled off the back of the man that was carrying her and scurried through the forest of legs and butts that stood between her and the Palace Guard. As those in front slowed, she finally broke through the front line and ran into the no-man's land between the mob and the guard. She could see the flash of steel as the guardsmen drew their swords, but she turned her back on them to face the mob.

"STOP!" she shouted as loud as she could. "I DON'T WANT THIS!"

The mob began to quiet in the front.

"Please! I beg you, go back to your homes people! You're my neighbors! We're not this kind of people! You. John..."

"Pebbleton," finished the man she recognized from the bar. 

"John Pebbleton. Your children are back at your home. Why are you here?! Look, I know you all are trying to help me, but this isn't helping anyone! Please. Go back!"

A face she recognized came forward. Marge.

"Marge! Who's running the Inn?! Please, go back!"

Slowly the mob began to disperse, and Kreet drew a deep sigh of relief before she began heading back as well. She saw Sigmundurr finally, with Kalllid riding on his shoulders.

But a voice came from behind her. A voice she recognized.

"Kreet," it said, and she turned back to see Avelyn behind the palace gates.

She pointed to herself as if to say, "Me?"

"No. The other pregnant kobold. Yes you. Please come in. Someone wants to have a word with you."

Kreet swallowed hard and turned back to see Kallid climbing down off of Sigmundurr's shoulders.

"No Kallid. I'll be alright. Go back with the others."

But he wouldn't stop.

"Sig, please. Don't make me Hold him. Take him back."

Sigmundurr grabbed the little kobold's hand.

She heard him beg the big man.

"She'll just put a Hold on you anyway," he said, trying to calm her husband down.

Kallid turned back to her, his eyes begging. "Kreet. Let me come with you!"

She rolled her eyes, and Sigmundurr let go. He was at her side in an instant.

Sig looked at her, asking the obvious question, but she shook her head.

"Wait for us at the Inn. We'll be back," she assured him.

"Good luck, my friends," he said with a sad look, and turned away to follow the thinning crowd back into the slums. Kreet was impressed. This was a situation he knew he couldn't solve with his kind of solution. She wasn't sure he was that self-aware. 

She felt Kallid's hand lock into her own. His eyes glowed as blue as ever, and she realized just how much she had fallen in love with him over the time they'd been together.

"Okay. Want to go see a human Palace?"

  
"Sure!" he said, apparently as eager as ever.


	34. Bishop - (Kreet 66)

The gate opened and the guard stepped aside as Kreet and Kallid entered the Palace grounds hand-in-hand. 

“Follow me,” Avelyn said tersely. “And don’t step out of line. Half of the people here think you’re animals, and the other half monsters of darkness.”

“And you?”

He turned back and raised his eyebrows. “You are a cleric of Pelor. I know that. Others might need convincing.”

They passed through a wide avenue with tall trees flanking the sides, which were in turn lit by torches set high on poles on either side. The path itself was of some sort of white stone that gleamed in the flickering torchlight. But as they continued towards the impressive building at the avenue’s end she began to realize the true magnitude of the place. It stood only three stories tall, but it spread to their left and right into the darkness of the night with lit windows in what seemed like hundreds of rooms.

She looked at Kallid, who was obviously as awestruck as she was. He looked like she felt - insignificant in this place, and she realized that if they never walked out again that no one would be the wiser.

But that wasn’t quite true. Sigmundurr would. And knowing him he’d exact some sort of price for them before getting himself cut down. Would Eilistraee allow that? Who knows. It could even be that she’d predicted it. Taking his soul instead of his body to their home would still be fulfilling her promise. You could never be quite sure of the words of a Goddess.

They rounded the pool and fountain that burbled before the low steps that led to the grand entrance. Avelyn nodded to the big men in full armor that stood at the base of the steps and they nodded, not saying a word. 

The steps were too wide for a kobold’s gait, and they had to awkwardly shift their steps to match. Kreet stumbled at one and Avelyn took her hand and helped her up.

“Thanks,” she said, not sure exactly where she stood with this man. Was he friend or foe?

“Who are we going to see?”

“That, you’ll discover soon enough,” he answered, breaking the silence as they came to the massive main doors.

The doors swung open of their own accord.

“Not magic,” Avelyn said as if reading her thoughts. “In fact, you would be well advised to never use magic in this place. It is forbidden on pain of death without royal permission. No, there are watchers here. You’re never unseen in the Palace. At least, it’s best to consider that you aren’t.”

But Kreet barely heard him. Her mouth had dropped open at the spectacle inside. She squeezed Kallid’s hand, who returned her grip. Inside, the main entry was lit by some form of incandescence she’d never seen before. It was not the flickering yellow flames of the torches outside, but a steady, white glow that came from what appeared to be perfect round gems of glass set around the hall. This was undoubtedly magic.

And what the light struck was every bit as fantastic. Statues of men and women, so perfect in form and attitude that she immediately felt shame for her kobold form. Paintings that appeared to be mirrors of ideal worlds beyond the subjects. And from every decorative panel… gold.

The two kobolds had stopped just inside the door, looking around them. Avelyn had to backtrack after noticing they were no longer following.

“Come, it wouldn’t do to keep her waiting,” he began

Kreet registered the pronoun, but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the place. She reached out to touch one of the statues to make sure it was really stone and not flesh. It was unyielding and cold.

“Do they not wear clothes in the palace?” Kallid asked quietly, his voice echoing in the open space.

“What? Of course they do. Oh. That’s just artwork. Now come on away from there.”

Kreet took Kallid’s hand. 

“I know how you’re feeling, Kally.”

“Monsters,” he said, looking sadly at her. “It’s like Eilistraee.”

“I know,” she said. “But we are what we are. We can never be like them.”

Avelyn knelt to the level of the two kobolds. “Trust me, we can never be like them. They’re idealized. No one really looks like that. Not even royalty. I dare say if a sculptor of this caliber did a sculpture of you, he would make you look like a goddess too. But this is not the time. Please, let’s continue.”

Kallid snickered and whispered to Kreet, “In one department I’m comparable!” 

Kreet laughed, “That you are my husband. That you are. Lead on Avelyn.”

He did so and they climbed a grand staircase and down what felt like endless hallways of dark woods, crimson carpets and grand paintings of people she would never know. Finally he opened a door to a large room - were any of them small? 

Inside sat a figure in a comfortable-looking chair. Not a throne by any means, but still opulent. The figure rose and gestured to two other chairs that sat beside her. The chairs were smaller but no less opulent. Possibly meant for children, Kreet thought, though now they were meant for two kobolds. A larger chair sat on the other side and Avelyn stepped towards it.

The woman that greeted them was old, but far from decrepit. She could have been about Marge’s age, but she carried a grace that couldn’t be hidden. She seemed to have a sort of radiance - surely a trick of the light, for the room was relatively dark compared to the brilliance of the entry hall. 

Kallid whispered, “the queen?”

But as Kreet bowed low before rising to take the offered seat, she pulled Kallid down beside her. 

“No,” she whispered back, bowing her head low. But she had recognized the pale yellow robe, and the insignia on the left breast.

“Your Excellency,” she said in deference to the woman’s rank.

“You must be Kreet. I’m told you are a Cleric of Pelor. Is that so? An unusual calling for… one such as you. Are you truly a Cleric? You surely can understand my skepticism. It would be most unusual that the Lord of Light himself would bestow his blessings on one born of the darkness.”

Kreet turned her face back and rose to her feet, feeling Kallid do the same beside her.

“Yet so he has,” Kreet said simply. “I have had an unusual life.”

“Please, sit with me, Kreet. I have been following you since hearing that you’d arrived in the Royal City with keen interest. While I’d expected to meet under different circumstances, it seems things have moved more quickly than I’d planned.”

Kreet walked to the little chairs but didn’t sit yet. Kallid followed her lead.

“I had planned to meet with you as well,” Kreet began. “But things in the slums… well, I haven’t yet had the chance to make proper arrangements! To be honest, I haven’t even learned your name yet.”

The woman smiled and removed the hood. Her hair had streaks of grey among the light blond hair. Her blue eyes, though not without some crows-feet in the corners, still shone with the quickness of youth. Now they smiled, and Kreet couldn’t tell if the smile was genuine or not. 

“I am known as Her Excellency, Bishop Wynda, Sixty Fourth Royal Bishop of Pelor and High Councillor of His Majesty King Eodryd and Her Majesty Queen Ayne.”

Kreet bowed again, in the prescribed manner she had learned years ago in the Monastery. The Church of Pelor had no figurehead. The god himself was their ruler. But this woman was certainly the most powerful religious leader of her sect in the region. Quite possibly in the world.  
If she was to remain a Cleric of Pelor in any official capacity, she had to do her absolute best here.

She sat in her chair and Kallid finally sat beside her.

“And this,” she smiled, “Is my Husband and Defender, Kallid. Fellow kobold, ex-slave of the Dark Elves of the Underdark, now Freeman. But most of all, he is my Husband and Father of my children yet-to-be-hatched.”

“And bartender!” Kallid added hopefully.

Kreet watched as the Bishop of Pelor bowed to Kallid the bartender.

Suddenly she decided she liked this Bishop after all.


	35. The Resurrection Stone - (Kreet 67)

“Tell me about yourself then, Kreet. How did you come to find yourself living in the slums of the Royal City? No, I’m really very interested. How does a kobold become a Cleric of Pelor, and then end up here?”

So Kreet began to tell the Bishop the story of her life, but hesitated when she came to the part about her Excommunication from the monastery.

“You needn’t fear, Kreet. I know you have the Power of Pelor within you. I knew it from the moment I set eyes on you. If the Lord of Light is with you, I will never gainsay your right to wear the robes that befit your office.”

“It’s not that, my Bishop. It’s…” she began, then looked at Kallid and took his hand. “I’m sorry Kallid, but you were not my first love.”

Kallid shook his head, “Don’t be silly Kreet. We both had lives before we met. Besides, isn’t Pelor supposed to be all about bringing light to dark places?”

“That is a major tenet of our faith,” the Bishop agreed, turning back to Kreet. “Please go on, Kreet. It is important that I understand.”

Kreet drew in her breath and closed her eyes, thinking back to that fateful night so long ago when darkness, mutual affection and bad timing had changed her life forever. For a brief moment back then she had believed that the differences between human and kobold could be breached or ignored.

When she had finished, there was silence in the room.

“And for this you were Excommunicated?”

“Yes,” she said flatly, perhaps a touch of anger still in her voice. The memory of that night and its consequences still hurt.

The Bishop rose and began to pace the floor, collecting her own thoughts before responding.

“Kreet, I don’t know this particular order, but I know of similar ones. There are those who believe that pleasures of the flesh interfere with communion with our Lord. But as you said, your mandate to become a Cleric came not from this monastery or its Abbot, but from Pelor himself. You were right to recognize that.”

“I will not say that such a Rule is wrong in my official capacity. That isn’t for me to judge. Many good people have arisen from such places. There are many different Orders under Pelor. Personally I believe that to fight against nature is always a losing battle. The urge to love another physically is a realm outside our Lord’s domain. It is pitting god against god, and in this case I believe both gods are Good - so we fight against ourselves which can only aid the darkness…”

She returned to her seat. “But go on, what happened after you left the monastery?”

Kreet continued, telling the rest of her story up to the Black Jewel and the ghosts in the old shack. The Bishop seemed to pay special attention, but didn’t interrupt. So she continued on to her fall into the pit.

“Wait, do I misunderstand? You awoke in the Underdark?”

“Yes. But the place I awoke in… I don’t think it was anywhere near where I’d fallen. I think something happened.”

“The jewel?” the Bishop asked, now keen eyed and watching her every move.

“Yes. Something about the jewel. Before I awoke… I think I was dead.”

“And this jewel, what happened to it?”

Kreet closed her eyes. “I still have it. I’ve come to accept that it’s not a physical thing though. I don’t have to put it anywhere. When I want it... it is just there. No one else can see it.”

The Bishop stood up. “Do you have it now? Is it HERE?!”

Kreet was surprised and a little scared of her reaction. “Well, no… but I can manifest it if…”

“No! Do not even think about it!”

“You… know what it is then?” Kreet asked, not understanding why the Black Jewel was causing this Bishop such consternation.

“I believe you possess a Resurrection stone, Kreet. How it came to you I cannot imagine. A god has sent you that curse - or blessing. It depends on your point of view. But this did not come from Pelor. It is anathema to his essence!”

Kreet thought about that. “But… I think it was the ghost of Ka’Plo who gave it to me!”

“From the realm of the dead,” the Bishop amended with a foul expression on her face. “Yet Pelor allowed it. I believe Pelor is working something deep here, consorting with other gods who are his ancient enemies to achieve… something. Something through you. Oh this is too much for me, Kreet. I cannot interfere here. Ranking or no, I only serve Pelor. I cannot see his ends. Avelyn, do you have any thoughts?”

For the first time the leader of the Band rose from his chair. Kreet had almost forgotten he was there. Still, Bishop Wynda must trust him, so she decided she should too - though the god he followed was not Pelor.

“I think first we should explain to Kreet about what a Resurrection stone is and implies, your Excellency. I can see she knows it only by its effect on her life.”

The Bishop nodded and Avelyn began to speak directly to Kreet then.

“Kreet, do you know what makes us different from the gods?”

Kreet tilted her head. “We’re not gods.”

“No, obviously not. But what essential difference is there between mortals and gods? You can puzzle it out - it’s right there in the name.”

“Mortality,” she said, though still not understanding.

“That is it. The lowliest of gods have little in the way of power. But they all possess that one elusive thing that we can never possess. Immortality. It is said that they can waste away to nothingness if they are forgotten by mortals, but they are never truly gone. One discovery of an ancient temple and they can return. But us… we get only the one life. When it is gone perhaps our souls continue on, but our life is over.”

She began to protest, but he shushed her.

“Resurrection spells only snatch our souls back while the body can be restored. But when the body is past the point of resuscitation we are lost to oblivion forever and to the realm of the dead. You can argue details, but the bottom line is that we are mortal and our lives are finite. The gods envy us that, though it seems ludicrous to us to do so. But we envy them. Oh do we envy them! How much would you give for immortality, Kreet? Well, maybe not you. How much would an emperor give for it?”

“Everything.”

“Yes. Maybe you begin to see? Everything. If you could sell this Resurrection stone to someone of great wealth and power, how much do you think they would pay?”

Kallid spoke up then, voicing the thought Kreet had. “They wouldn’t. They would just take it.”

“That’s probably right,” Avelyn nodded, seeing the wisdom behind the little kobold’s answer. “But you see the point. A Resurrection stone - if such a thing truly exists - would be the most priceless object in the world to mortals. There are stories of such things. More, there are rumors of their existence. Of people who have such things that dwell among us mortals. For, you see, if you had no death…”

Kreet shook her head. “I don’t think it works like that. Maybe this isn’t a Resurrection stone. It only worked once.”

“But you still have it,” the Bishop said. “If it’s purpose were gone, it would be gone too. No, Kreet. It is not done with you yet.”

“But it took me away from my friends! From my life!”

“Did it? Without it, you would be dead. That is taking you away from your life,” Avelyn pointed out.

“And it brought you to me,” said a small voice beside her. 

She smiled at that, now glad beyond measure that she’d brought Kallid with her. He brought her back to reality and out of thinking about things that were too big for her.

“Yes,” she said. “It brought me to you. And you brought me these three,” she said, rubbing her growing belly. 

“A curse and a blessing,” the Bishop repeated. I don’t know that you are immortal, Kreet, but that’s not the important fact. The important fact is that I don’t know that you aren’t. But nevermind all that. I can gather the rest of your story well enough. You have a purpose, Kreet. One I will not stand in the way of! But now I have another question for you. The real question. What do you want?”


	36. The Tail End - (Kreet 68)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the image ties in!

Inwardly Kreet breathed a sigh of relief. She had been spared telling the Bishop about her encounter with Eilistraee. Though she knew the dark goddess was not directly an enemy of Pelor, it was not at all likely that Bishop Wynda would agree. And she hadn’t had to lie to avoid it.

But the Bishop was looking directly at her, waiting for her response. Was this a bigger question than it appeared? What did she want?

“I… I just want a safe place to raise my family.”

“Really?” the Bishop asked, a hint of a smile on her face. “Let’s say I were to give you a residence nearby, would that suffice? Maybe an official position in the church. You and your children would be well taken-care of.”

Kreet’s head instinctively cocked to the side again. This was certainly unexpected! She thought about it and realized quickly that it wasn’t enough. It really wasn’t enough. She thought about the other people in the slums. They were just people, no better or worse than any others. She had come to the city only looking for a place - a nest. But she’d already found one, and she didn’t want to give it up, even for a better place.

“No. That wouldn’t suffice. It would be generous, but it wouldn’t be home. I’ve found my home already.”

“Ah. I thought not. You are truly a Cleric, Kreet. Others might be lured by safety and security alone, but you want more, don’t you? More for others. I heard about your sewer exploit. You don’t go digging through shit if you’re just concerned about yourself.”

“I want the city watch to patrol the slums again,” she said, knowing deep down that this was what she really wanted. It was the right answer. She would work for her place in the city. She didn’t want it given to her. But there were things that were out of her control.

Bishop Wynda looked to Avelyn. “What’s the status of the slums now?”

“Since the Band stopped patrolling, I know of four murders and ten robberies. The numbers are growing rapidly though. I expect another month or two and it will be chaos. The locals will be demanding the Band return.”

“And I assume that’s not what you want, Kreet? For the Band to return?”

Kreet was getting angry. “You heard what I want. The city watch. Under the orders of the King.”

“The watch isn’t perfect either, Kreet. And they will need to be paid. The locals will need to pay taxes again.”  
“Within reason, they will pay,” she said, feeling confident she spoke for everyone she knew there. “As commerce returns to the area, they will be able to pay more. But without order, there can be no commerce. The Band provides order, but uses thuggery and threats to achieve it. The watch does so by the consent of the people. We need the watch.”

“And you, Avelyn? What will the Band do if the Watch returns to the slums?”

“What we’ve always done. Go back to being the Thieves Guild. It’s still a way of keeping order, even if it is a criminal order.”

Kreet looked at Avelyn. “Thieves Guild?”

“Of course. When the Watch gave up on policing the slums, we were the only people who could keep the place from going up in flames. It was us or anarchy, and eventually anarchists come for the King and those in power.”

“So, you condone thievery then?!”

“No more than prostitution. No more than gambling. It is a vice that is going to happen whether we condone it or not. But we can get close to it and keep it from getting out of hand. The Watch couldn’t. Not when the whole place had gone to hell. Not when stealing meant the difference between watching your children starve and watching them eat. Everyone becomes a thief when things get hard enough.”

“He’s right, Kreet. I wasn’t the Bishop when this arrangement was worked out. The King wasn’t the King. But we accepted what needed to be accepted.”

“But the sewers are working now. Things are improving!” Kreet protested. “Things don’t have to go back to the way they were.”

The Bishop nodded. “I will speak with the King. I cannot give assurances, but I think he will listen. Avelyn, your men will be okay with this?”

He nodded and turned to Kreet. “Those that weren’t okay with it have already left the city. Your Big Jake is one of them.”

Kreet nodded and was honestly relieved. “Good. Look, we can’t police ourselves. We are too poor for that. But the majority want restoration of order too. Please tell the King that. We are not anarchists! Don’t drive us into becoming ones. Like Avelyn said, everyone is a thief when things are hard enough.”

The Bishop rose again and crossed to Kreet, who stood and then knelt, knowing the audience was at an end.  
“I’ll get word to you Kreet. And I wish you luck. I don’t know where your life is going, but I see the good you are doing. You are bringing light into dark places - converts or no. You are doing the work of Pelor, even if from the most unlikely of sources. I sincerely wish you well. Also, I would like you to attend our services at the Cathedral next week. Could you do that for me? It would be an honor to introduce you to the faithful.”

Suddenly Kreet remembered something else she wanted. She might not get the chance to ask again.

“There is one more thing,” she started. 

The Bishop took her hand and she rose again. “Yes? What else can I do for you?”

“The archives. I would like a day to spend in the archives under the Cathedral. With someone who knows them and can help me.”

“Ah. You still seek your old monastery?”

“To be honest, I seek my old tavern more. I miss my friends.”

“Granted. You come to service at the Cathedral, and I’ll grant you access with the head of the archives for as long as you need. Avelyn, see them out of the palace and then return. I’d like to discuss this Watch business with you before I talk with the King tomorrow.”

Kreet bowed once more and Avelyn ushered them out.

Once out of the room, they proceeded back through the corridors and stairs of the palace.

“An odd line of work for a Cleric of Avandra isn’t it?”

“Odd profession for a kobold to be a Cleric of Pelor. But here we are.”

“But thievery? I’m not a devotee of Avandra, but it doesn’t seem like the head of the Thieves’ Guild would be a calling of the Changegiver.”

“You still give me too much credit, Kreet. I might be considered the mouthpiece of the Guild, and yes, even highly ranked among them. But there is no head of the Guild. We work together towards common goals.”

They were walking down the curved staircase leading to the Grand Hall again. It didn’t fail to impress, though Kallid noted that from this angle they could see the statue’s butts. That made Kreet laugh, and suddenly - though the Palace was still a place of opulence, beauty and impressiveness to a small kobold - the place became less intimidating. The realization that all these great humans, beautiful and cold in their stone monuments, still had had to walk around their entire lives with their backsides immodestly uncovered by tails. She couldn’t stop laughing and Avelyn stopped, not understanding.

“No tails!” she managed. “You have no tails to cover your butts!”

He frowned at her. “I beg your pardon! We have clothes for that.”

“I bet you get spanked all the time!” she kept laughing as he ignored her and led on.

“I’m sorry,” she giggled, trying to recompose herself. “I just never thought about it before.”

At the door he stopped, looking none too happy at her continued stifled giggling.

“Thanks, Avelyn. I misjudged you.”

“You know, the Changegiver is also a patron of merchants,” he said. “I do truly wish you luck in your own enterprise.”

“Thank you. No hard feelings?”

“You know, if the King doesn’t consent to the Watch, the Band will be back.”

“I know. But I’ll feel better knowing you’ll be there to keep the worst of them from going too far.”

“Thank you, Kreet. You know your way back?”

She nodded and he turned to go back inside.

She could no more stop her hand than stop the sun from rising. The slap on his buttocks reverberated around the grand hallway within, followed by gales of kobold laughter from Kreet and Kallid both.

He gave her a cross look and closed the door as the two laughed all the way back to the gates.


	37. Progress - (Kreet 69)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2nd of 3 stained-glass Kreet images. I'll leave the translation of the Latin to you, but he is a tough little guy. And getting tougher.
> 
> A little foreboding in this chapter, but that might just be the pregnancy. Surely that would be enough? Still, the fact that she still possesses the Resurrection Stone is a good thing - right?

“No, it was just the Bishop of Pelor. But I think it went well. She said she would speak to the King about it. I’m hopeful!”

The Baby Dragon Inn’s tavern was full, even this late at night. It seemed to be slowly becoming something more than a run-down tavern, and that wasn’t only due to the daily work that was being done to repair it. While the coffers weren’t exactly overflowing - the clientele was still too poor to expect that - Kreet and Marge had done some calculations and they had become profitable again. But tonight was something different. After the mob had dispersed, the majority had gone back to the tavern. There had been some talk of insurrection, but Kreet and Kallid’s return had put a stop to that. 

“But we’re tired now. My thanks to you all, I know you meant well, but let’s have no more incidents like tonight, okay? At least, not in my name.”

Marge spoke up then. “She’s right you rabble! We’re not an all-night tavern out in the wilderness here! Go home. It’s time to close up shop. Gerard, Sigmundurr, help us get these drunkards out of here!”

Kreet smiled at that. Marge knew her craft. Gerard was a well known man, formerly a blacksmith, and could rival Sigmundurr in size and strength and was one of the chief instigators of the mob that had formed. By including him as a ‘bouncer’, at one swift stroke she had turned a potential problem into an asset. The crowd began to disperse.

“Marge, can I talk to you for a minute?” Kreet asked later as the former owner began to clean up the tables.

“Sure Kreet. What can I do for you?”

Kreet motioned her into a back room, out of earshot of the others.

“Marge… you’re good at this, aren’t you?”

Marge rarely smiled. But instead the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes increased a little. “Good at what? Keeping this place going? I damn well should be by now!”

“Are you really going to leave? Go to your mother’s place? Do you want to?” Kreet asked while moving a box to make for an impromptu chair.

“I suppose so. I got a letter from my sister. She’s asking when I’m coming. Why?”

“I don’t want you to leave, Marge. You know these people. They like me and Kallid. I can see that. But it’s not the same as you. It’s like you’re their crotchety grandmother. They respect you. Is there any way I can keep you on here?”

“Ain’t nobody’s grandmother. But… Let me think about it. We’re going to need more help though. It’s getting harder to do everything around here. But that’s a good thing. Would you consider hiring a barmaid?”

“Can we afford one?” Kreet asked. Though they were making some money now, it wasn’t very much.

“I think so. We’re going to need to eventually anyway if we’re really going to turn this place around.”

Kreet smiled inwardly. ‘We’, she’d said. That was good.

“Got any ideas who?”

“I’ll have to eat some crow, but June was good. Very good. We just couldn’t pay her and things got a little ugly at the end before you showed up.”

“Think she’d be willing?”

Marge shrugged. “Don’t know. But she wouldn’t need to be trained. Depends on how bad I pissed her off really. I could go talk to her tomorrow morning.”

Kreet nodded. “Thanks Marge. Let’s see if she’ll come back then. Do you owe her back-wages?”

“Some. Not too much. With your permission, we have enough to catch her up.”

“Go ahead. Sounds like a good investment if she’ll come back. But Marge, whether she comes back or not, I don’t think I can run this place without you.”

Marge’s crow’s feet re-emerged. “I don’t think you could either. Let me think about it for a day or two.”

Kreet nodded and hopped off the box. She felt the landing more than she used to, both in her belly and in her breasts. 

“Ugh. I don’t think it’s going to be much longer.”

“You be careful, little Mama,” Marge said, holding her shoulder to steady her. “You’ve done enough these last few days. Maybe it’s time to settle down a little. They’ve got the roof repaired and the third floor is almost done. Let me handle things round here for a bit. I don’t know anything about kobold births, but I figure pregnancy is pregnancy. Got no kids of my own, but I know you need to slow down some.”

“I will,” Kreet vowed to herself as much as to Marge. 

*********

The next few days Kreet did try to stay out of the way. June came back and, though at first she was somewhat leery of the kobolds, she soon got used to them. Kreet continued to train Kallid on the use of a stave, but the sparring was cancelled. In the afternoons she would retire to their room and watch him in the courtyard as he continued his archery practice. The sound of the workmen overhead had become commonplace as they finished restoring the third floor.

June was, in all respects, a very good barmaid and in the evenings Kreet was able to do less. June’s return had been roundly hailed by the old customers as a return to the ‘good old days’. Someone had bought the abandoned stable next to the Inn and it too was being refurbished in anticipation of better days to come.

She was sitting behind the bar, a common place for her these days during the hot afternoons, when a robed figure stepped into the bar. Avelyn. June went to offer a seat, but he saw Kreet and she climbed down off her barstool and waddled over to him. She hated that, but it was becoming more and more pronounced as the days went by.

“What brings you here, Guildmaster?” she asked as they stepped into the back room. The title was perhaps premature, but she hoped it was appropriate.

“It’s been quite some time since I’ve been in the slums personally, Kreet. But I must say things really are looking better around here. Did you hear about the murder last night? Whole family of three back in block one hundred six. That’s pretty close.”

“Thieves?”

“Yes. We know who it was.”

“Are you going to do something about it? Aren’t you supposed to be running the thieves guild now? Sounds like you’re not doing a very good job.”

“Already have. He’s in custody. But we’re not going to go public with it yet. The city watch is going to investigate. And they’re going to miraculously find him too. Such a heinous crime in the slums can’t go without justice. The King’s going to announce the return of the Watch.”

Kreet’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t orchestrate this did you? The murder of a whole family?!”

Avelyn shot her an angry look. “Kreet, no matter what else you may think of me and my Band, we are _not_ wanton murderers! Nor is the King, if you start thinking that way too. The guy just went blood-crazed when the father tried to defend his family. We had him two hours later. We’re just using this as an opportunity to return to patrolling the slums and to give the Watch a little boost in credibility. You should be happy.”

“Sorry Avelyn. Something about living in a city. You get suspicious of everybody. You’ve been honorable enough with me. I shouldn’t have gone there.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. Anyway, I just came down here to let you know. The watch begins again tonight. Taxes will resume next month though.”

“Nothing too onerous?”

“A pittance. Symbolic really. But things do seem to be picking up down here. There are two other places being restored I saw on the way down. It won’t remain a pittance once things get moving again. As soon as word gets out that the watch is returning, I expect things will start moving a lot faster too. You’re lucky. You got in on the ground-floor of the renewal.”

“Lucky? I _made_ the fucking renewal!”

“Kreet! Really, I must insist. Try to show me _some_ respect.”

Kreet apologized. “Sorry. I think it’s this pregnancy thing. Has me on edge all the time. I don’t suppose you know anything about kobold birthing? I suppose I’ll figure it out, but it’s a little scary, not knowing what to expect when I’m expecting. I didn’t really do much research into it, and haven’t been around other kobolds enough to ask. Kallid isn’t a lot of help.”

Avelyn put a hand to his chin. “Your Bishop has quite an archive under the cathedral. It could be there’s something in there. I’ll have the archivist do some research and gather what he can find when you visit on holy day. You _are_ coming?”

“Avelyn, I told my own _Bishop_ I was. I am a Cleric too, remember? I don’t think you need to worry me forgetting that. I’ll be there.”

The Cleric of Avandra left the tavern, and Kreet emerged from the back room. She decided not to tell anyone about the return of the watch just yet. They would learn soon enough, and her foreknowledge might jeopardize the King’s excuse to reintroduce them. She should be happy. Things were going well. She was going to the Cathedral and it’s archives the day after tomorrow. The repairs on the building were nearing completion. Kallid was improving day by day in both martial arts and archery. The slums were being rebuilt day by day too. So why did she have an impending feeling of doom?

It must be the pregnancy, she decided. She went back upstairs to her room. But as she lay on the bed, she couldn’t get comfortable. Eventually she gathered up all the blankets and bedclothes she could find and piled them up into a corner, and then curled up on top of them all. It was much, much better. She thought back to her earliest childhood and realized this was similar to the pile of leaves and straw her mother and father slept on back in the cavern. She was not, after all, human. She was a pregnant kobold and damned if she was going to sleep on a slab of a bed when she could make a proper pile to sleep on top of.

She was happily snoring away within minutes.

  
  
  
  
  



	38. Cathedral - Kreet 70

When the morning came, Kallid was sleeping beside her and the pile was less roomy than it had been. She kicked him off it. He woke up groggily and she handed him one of the blankets from under her.

“Bed for you. This is my pile.”

Kallid turned his head to one side, not understanding.

“Oh, don’t give me that look Kallid. It’s probably a pregnancy thing. Don’t be upset. I still love you just as much. I just need a little space, okay?”

“Oh...kay,” he said, but the hurt look on his face was too much for her to leave it at that. She got up and leaned over him, putting a pillow under his head.

“Really, Kallid. Don’t feel like that. I just…”

“Need space,” he finished for her, then kissed her.

She nodded and kissed him back, then fluffed the pile back up again and lay back down on it.

She had almost gotten back to sleep despite the sun peeking through the window when the sounds of the city began. Then she heard the workmen come in and proceed upstairs Soon their incessant hammering began.

She looked at her swelling womb. Nothing like what she’d seen of pregnant human women. She knew a lot of her children’s development was going to happen in the egg at least sometime after she’d laid them, so it wasn’t going to be that bad. But she felt the day was fast approaching that she would be laying them. Probably why she had built her little blanket-nest.

She yawned and scratched herself, making sure Kallid wasn’t looking. They’d seen each other through a lot of bad times, but still it didn’t hurt to act at least a little ladylike when he was looking. She tried her bra on - then took it back off and loosened the strap a little. He might need to make her another one before this was over. For a moment she envied the generations of kobolds who lived underground and never grew boobs. But then she recalled the things she ate back then. Mushrooms, moss and spiders. Not exactly a wide variety diet. Now she was eating human food daily and her body was taking full advantage of that.

A smell wafted up from somewhere downstairs. Pork belly. Marge was cooking breakfast. Her stomach grumbled, so she got her nightgown on with her days’ clothes in hand and waddled down the stairs and out to the shower in the courtyard where she washed herself. Sigmundurr was waiting when she got out and handed her a towel. He’d seen her naked so many times now it didn’t even register.

“Getting pretty plump. Thinking of laying some eggs anytime soon?”

She took the towel and began to dry herself. “Probably, but I don’t really know Sig. Could be next week, could be this afternoon. I just don’t have any experience in these things!”

“Well don’t look at me,” he said as he entered the shower.

She suddenly realized that, as often as he’d seen her naked, she’d never actually seen  _ him  _ naked. She sincerely wished that were still true.

“You want me to come with you tomorrow?” he asked after he’d blessedly closed the shower curtain.

“If you don’t mind,” she said while putting on her fresh clothes. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to actually come to the service in the cathedral?”

“Now Kreet, you know I worship a different goddess,” he laughed, his voice booming over the sound of the shower water easily.

“Oh! Is that a new word for it? Worship?” she laughed. “But yeah. I know Kallid will insist on coming, and even though they know us well here in the slums by now, a couple kobolds wandering the streets alone might be a problem.”

“Well don’t worry about it. I’ll be there. Say, did Eilistraee say she would be coming back before you laid your eggs, or before they hatched?”

“I think before they hatched if I remember right. Why? You want to leave us so soon?”

“Oh Kreet, you know it’s not that. But I do miss her.”

“Well, I may not know anything much about kobold reproduction, but I’m sure it won’t be too much longer now.”

“It’s a three-stage process,” Kallid said, stepping out from the tavern to the courtyard to wait his turn. “And I can reliably say you passed stage one like an expert!” 

Kreet had to laugh at that, though she gave his taii a pinch. “Alright, I’ll leave you two males out here to compare your fertility prowess. I’m going in to get some breakfast.”

*****************

The day passed relatively uneventfully till late that afternoon. The hammering had blessedly stopped and the tavern hadn’t opened yet, though June had come in to help prepare for the night. Then the laborers filed out from the stairway and the man Kreet knew as leader of the work-crew came over to speak with her.

“We’re done, Kreet. Six new rooms on the third floor, along with the repaired ones on the second floor. Of course, they’re still bare-bones. You’ll need to furnish them. But they should be back to working order now. Want to check them out?”

They all went upstairs. To Kreet’s eyes, they weren’t all that impressive since they were literally bare of any furnishings. The smell of fresh wood was strong, but they all seemed quite sturdy and all the rot and mold was gone. They would have to paint them, but most of the original bed frames were still intact in the basement. It shouldn’t take much longer to get them functional again.

“Thank you and your men for me too, will you?” Kreet said after inspecting them. “They all look… well… solid anyway. So what do I owe you now that you’re finished?”

“Actually the men and I have been talking it over. You know the Watch came back last night. They say it’s because of that killing, but we know better. You’ve improved the lot of every man on the crew more than a few more gold pieces. And we’re honestly glad to get this job done. We have more work now than we’ve ever had before! We have only one request.”

Kreet smiled, knowing that the expression on a kobold face may not read well to humans, but the foreman seemed to have gotten used to it. “And what’s your request?”

“When you get them done, one free night for each of us. What do you say?”

Kreet was about to reply, but Marge interrupted. “One night’s room. Not boarding. You eat, you drink, you pay.”

“Marge!” Kreet said, ashamed that she would be so petty considering the value they’d just given for free.

“No, it’s alright Kreet. Marge is just being a smart businesswoman. Fair enough. Just the room,” the foreman said and shook her hand. It felt odd, conducting business just like a human - right down to the handshake. Odd, but good.

“So, what’s next?” Kreet asked Marge as the foreman left the tavern.

“Best paint first. Then we go rummaging around in the basement and see what’s still serviceable for furniture. Do you have any preferences as far as colors for the rooms?”

June spoke up from behind the bar at that. “Oh! Let me pick! Marge will pick something dull and boring.”

“Pah! Dull and boring is safe, girly. People don’t complain about dull and boring.”

“I don’t know anything about such things. How about this, we’ll let June pick the colors for the third floor rooms, and Marge can choose those for the other rooms on the second?”

It was agreed on and both Marge and June headed out to buy paint, bickering all the way but in a way that only long acquaintance allows.

“Did you ask Marge about staying on?” Kallid asked.

“Yeah. She wants some time to consider it, but I can tell her heart isn’t ready to let go of the place yet. And we really do need her business sense. But I have to wonder if we’ll have any customers for the rooms. I mean, why would anyone want to stay down here in the slums anyway?”

“Same reason we did,” Sigmundurr spoke up. “It’s cheap!”

“Good point,” she agreed. “But we still need to make a profit. Can’t be too cheap or we’ll invite only vagabonds and thieves. Still, we should be able to undercut the other Inns in the city since our taxes will be so much lower. For awhile.”

*********************

The next day dawned rainy, but Kreet was still excited. Today she would be able to see the grand cathedral, not to mention finally visiting the archives. She had to temper her enthusiasm for that though. Even if she managed to find out where her old home was, she wasn’t going to be leaving the Royal City anytime soon regardless. With three new lives to take care of soon, she wasn’t sure if she ever would.

But she’d seen the cathedral. In sheer size the palace dwarfed it, but the palace was spread across acres of land while the cathedral rose like a giant homage to her god, seeming to reach for the sun itself with it’s spires and the massive tower that soared over the entire city.

By the time Sigmundurr and Kallid were ready, the rain had stopped and all three stepped out into an early morning mist - humid but cooler than the days had been. She was glad of that. She had her robe steamed and her badge of office displayed proudly over her left breast. While she probably couldn’t avoid getting the bottom of the robe a little damp from the streets, at least it wouldn’t be a soaking mess.

Outside though, she was met by a surprise. A hand-drawn cart sat out front and Sigmundurr ushered her and Kallid into it.

“Well, you don’t want to show up all tired out,” he smiled as he took up the twin poles. “Besides, it would take forever the way you waddle along these days!”

“Sig! That’s so thoughtful of you. I do believe you might become a gentleman yet!”

“Bah. You insult me. I’m a bull! But for now I’m a harnessed bull. Come on, let’s go.”

The ride to the cathedral was one of the highlights of Kreet’s life. Kallid too was beaming as they watched the city glide by. Fortunately it was still quite early and there weren’t many people out to stare at them. Of course the way was bumpy - but she didn’t let that bother her. She watched as merchants and deliverymen loaded stores into shops along the way, and as servants walked dogs and cleaned walkways as they left the merchant areas behind into the loftier realm of the nobles and wealthier citizens.

And then they passed the palace again. This time it’s outer gates were manned only by a couple of guards, who eyed them as they passed. 

And then the trees parted and she saw the cathedral again. She’d not been this close to it before, and hadn’t seen the entire structure before. It was simply breathtaking. Built of dark stone, it looked as if it had been in place for hundreds of years. The palace looked like a new building compared to its imposing facade. She saw monks and laypeople milling around, waiting for the doors to open and for the morning service to begin. And she saw the yellow robes of three Clerics as well. Suddenly she felt chagrined and was going to tell Sigmundurr to stop, so that they could just walk up rather than pull up in a conveyance that would look badly out of place for a Cleric of Pelor.

But Kallid insisted - along with Sigmundurr - so they pulled right up to the front of the cathedral where all eyes were upon them. Sig set down the poles and Kallid hopped down, then both helped Kreet out. She brushed their hands away though.

“Now stop it. I’m not THAT helpless!”

“I’ll take the cart back,” Sig said as the two kobolds looked up at the church. “I’ll be back around sundown. If you need me before then, look for me in that park. I’ll probably hang out around here.”

“Thank’s Sig,” she said. “Really. It was… very special.”

Uncharacteristically, Sigmundurr just nodded and began walking the cart back the way they had come.

The two kobolds turned back and stared at the tower which rose impossibly high into the sky. Kallid pointed out some gargoyles near the roof line which looked suspiciously like kobolds.

“Well, maybe that means we scare away evil spirits!” Kreet said hopefully, trying to ignore the stares of the people around them. But the three Clerics were coming down the stairs towards them and Kreet bade Kallid to stay behind her. 

Kreet bowed low to the three, but was happy to see they bowed back to her in an accepted sign of respect for equals. 

“You would be Kreet, I assume,” said the oldest of the three. “I am Pern, the ranking Cleric here. Welcome to the Cathedral of Pelor. We’ve been expecting you.”

“And you must be Kallid,” said another, taking Kallid’s hand. “The service won’t begin for another hour, but we’ve been given the honor of showing you around. Would you like a brief private tour?”

Kallid couldn’t withhold his enthusiasm, and Kreet was happy to get out of the scrutiny of all the eyes on her.

The three led the way up the stairs towards the massive dark wooden doors. Kreet saw the carved figures engraved there and could have spent an hour just looking at those, but the doors swung open before they got close enough and in the center was the Bishop herself. It was an impressive display and answered a question Kreet hadn’t the courage to raise at their interview.

The Bishop was obviously a powerful wielder of Pelor’s grace herself.

“Kreet. You came! Welcome! Pern, please allow me to escort her husband and her. I find I have the time after all and am eager to show her myself if you’d be so kind.”

Pern bowed low, and Kreet and Kallid entered into the cathedral alone with the Bishop.

“Well,” Kreet thought as the doors closed behind her, “that should tell everyone in the crowd all they need to know about whether or not I’m really a Cleric of Pelor anyway.”

And then her eyes adjusted to the light within and she stared at the marvels revealed within. And this was just the Narthex! The walls were relatively free of adornments beyond the Eye of Pelor - a stylized sun with beams of light. But overhead were a myriad of tiles forming pictures that told of the beginning of the Pelorian Epic. 

“Oh!” was all she could say, and Kallid squeezed her hand as they both craned their heads skyward.

The Bishop laughed as she looked to the ceiling too. “It is good to see this wonderful church through the eyes of newcomers. I’m afraid I’ve become far too used to it.”

“I could never get used to this,” Kreet said almost absent-mindedly.

“Well come along. There’s much to see before service begins and the monks will be coming in soon. After service we can climb the tower. The view of the city from the top is something you really must see. But first, let’s go inside.”

The Bishop motioned with her hand and the inner doors opened. But instead of a darkened, gloomy space she expected, the brilliance within almost blinded Kreet as she shielded her eyes from the glare. It was as if inside was bathed in pure sunlight - though the clouds outside made her wonder how that was possible. Yet as her eyes recovered, it wasn’t the light that drew her in. It was the feeling of her god’s presence. The building, impressive as it was, had been built by mortal hands, but there was something immortal within. She took Kallid’s hand and walked into the Lord of Light’s domain.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	39. The Archivist - (Kreet 71)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gnome image isn't quite what I picture Mr. Feltix looking like, but it's close enough. Sorry, couldn't find the original artist though.

Twenty minutes later Kreet’s neck began to ache. She’d been staring up at the various things the Bishop pointed out. They were all impressive, but Kreet soon found there was only so much she could take. Fortunately, just as she began to think about mentioning it, the monks began to file in and the Bishop bade them to sit beside her chair on a couple of kobold-sized chairs that had been brought in.

“I’m sorry, Bishop Wynda, but I’m afraid I will have forgotten the protocol of the liturgy, and my husband… well, he’s not of the faith. Yet.”

“Oh, it’s fine Kreet. You just stay there. Later I’ll introduce you to the congregation, but you can just stand at that point. But now I have to go get ready. You two just stay here. The monks will begin chanting shortly and then the service will begin.”

Kreet took Kallid’s hand as the Bishop retreated from the Apse. Kallid was obviously nervous here. Of course Kreet had never been in such a church either, but she did trust the BIshop and it was hard for her to feel fear in a place so obviously filled with the Lord of Light’s spirit. 

“It’ll be alright,” she whispered to Kallid. “I promise.”

She felt the answering squeeze, and then a lone monk began to sing. She didn’t recognize the words at first, but then she realized it was actually in the Common tongue, just so stylized that it was hard to understand. But the melody was beautiful, especially when the other monks began to join in.

Then the doors were opened to the Narthex and she saw the Clerics enter first, followed by the laypeople. The Clerics took seats on the opposite side of the Apse while some young monks began to light candles. It was all quite impressive. But soon the monks stopped singing and everyone stood up. Kreet and Kallid did so as well, and then the monks began singing a new song, an entrance hymn and the Bishop re-entered, flanked by the Acolytes that had lit the candles earlier. The Bishop stepped to the raised pulpit and made a brief introduction of Kreet, pointing out that the Lord of Light’s followers were of all types and it was the duty of all his followers to acknowledge the inherent worth of them all.

Next the service began in earnest. Some parts of it she recalled from her days in the monastery, but other parts she just watched. Finally the Bishop gave a much more detailed, impassioned speech in which she again acknowledged Kreet and Kallid. When she finished, the lay-people applauded the kobolds and they bowed to the audience - embarrassed but somewhat proud.

Later the service was ended and the BIshop and her acolytes left the Apse, and the monks filed out. Some of the people came up and greeted Kreet and Kallid, and that was the highlight of the service for Kreet. She knew she was a curiosity at best, but when the people found that she could speak - and speak well, they soon got over their racial bias.

Finally the Bishop re-emerged, now dressed in civilian clothes. Kreet barely recognized her at first.

“Well, I can’t go around in those ridiculous robes all day!” Bishop Wynda protested. “Now come. I know you want to visit the archives, but I really want you to climb the tower with me. Are you up for it?”

“Sure! I might be a bit heavier than I normally am, but I can manage, I’m sure.”

In fact, she did get somewhat winded as they climbed the circling stairs near the top, but the other two stopped for her to let her catch her breath for a few minutes, then they emerged at the top of the tower and looked out over the city.”

They were high above the trees here, and the wall surrounding the city was clearly visible in the distance, outlining it. To the south, it appeared the wall no longer contained the city as more buildings could be seen beyond it. Then the clouds overhead parted and a beam of light shot through to illuminate a swath of the city below, drifting slowly across the city like a searchlight.

“Oh that’s  _ gorgeous _ !” Kreet cried, and hugged Kallid closer to herself.

“It really is. I come up here sometimes by myself, just to admire the view. And the breeze is cooling in the heat of day too. I’m glad I could share it with you. But there’s another reason I brought you here, Kreet.”

Kreet turned back to the Bishop, suddenly keenly aware of the tremendous height behind her.

“Bishop?” Kreet responded.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. We are united under Pelor here. There are intrigues I have to deal with in my position. Sometimes I feel tainted by them. I still try to do the will of Pelor, but… it’s not always easy to see which way is right. I envy you, Kreet. Your path is clear.”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s clear at all.”

“It is though. I’ve prayed to Him about you. You are doing very well in your life’s task, Kreet. Better than I am, I expect. But not all tasks involve wielding magic or fighting evil directly that would lead to an autonomous level increase. Sometimes the darkness we fight doesn’t take the form of a monster or a sorcerer. Sometimes it’s a more insidious darkness. We don’t get much credit for that, Kreet. But we should.”

Kreet looked at Bishop Wynda. She didn’t understand at all what the BIshop was getting at.

“I know, you still don’t understand fully. And you will face more hardship. Though I don’t know the form, I know it will be heartrending for you. I will not be there. You will be alone in the darkness. But I want you to remember this. You are not alone. Pelor is always with you and he  _ IS _ the Lord of Light. In the darkness, light is hope. Have hope, little kobold. Don’t despair. As long as you have life, there is hope. And hope is not always misplaced.”

Kreet looked at Kallid, who only looked back at her, squeezing her hand again with a worried look on his face.

“Sorry Kreet. I only know what the Lord has revealed to me. But he has given me another power. The power to raise you to the rank of 4th level Cleric. Think well on the new abilities he offers you, and choose those which you think will best guide you on your path. Please bow now, Kreet of Pelor and allow me to bestow this blessing on you.”

Kreet did so, and felt the touch of the Bishop’s hand on her head as the power of Pelor flowed into her again. She felt the beam of sunlight on her at the same time and knew she had been raised again. Twice before she had felt this power. Now it surged through her, and as before she could see the choices before her. But she didn’t have to make her choice right now. It was enough that she could see them. She opened her eyes.

“I will choose later, Bishop. I need to think about them. Thank you, though your words worry me.”

“I know, Kreet. I wouldn’t utter them, but that I think they may do you some good someday. But come now. The archives await and I understand the archivist has found something that may lighten your mood!”

****

They descended the stairs of the tower, but when they got to the ground floor the Bishop opened a hidden door at the base of the stairs.

“Everyone knows about the archives, but few people have ever seen them. We prefer to keep it that way. Come, I’m afraid there are more stairs to climb down.”

The lower stairway circled down much as the tower stairs had, but eventually they came to the bottom and stepped into a lighted space, And there behind a low desk sat an elderly gnome. It took Kreet a minute to realize what she was seeing. She’d gotten so used to humans around the city, she’d almost forgotten that there were other races in the city at all.

“Kreet, Kallid, I’d like to introduce you to our Archivist. This is Mr. Feltix.”

“Ah! The kobolds! I’ve been expecting you! Oh yes. Oh, it’s so exciting to have something new to research, yes! Kobolds. Don’t get a lot of calls to go digging through the kobold books, you know.”

“Well now,” the BIshop said as they walked into the room. “I’m sure you’ll learn a lot from Mr. Feltix. You have the run of the archives for as long as you’d like, Kreet. But I have things I have to attend to. Good luck on your research! I’m sure Mr. Feltix will take good care of you. Also, don’t forget to eat. There’s a small restaurant just down the road opposite the palace. Free for all clerics and monks of Pelor. Mr. Feltix won’t eat while he’s researching, but you must. You saw the secret door. It’ll be open for you.”

“Thanks, Bishop. For everything!” Kreet said as the Bishop nodded and went back out to the stairwell.

But Mr. Feltix was wasting no time as he began to examine Kallid.

“Ah, you must forgive me. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a live male kobold!” he said as he began to grope Kallid, who stood not quite sure what to do.

“Hey, stop that Mr. Feltix! I heard you found something for me?”

The gnome hopped over to Kreet. He stood about the same height as Kallid. “Ah yes! I have indeed! Oh, look at those!” he said, prodding her breasts.

“HEY!” She complained, simultaneously with Kallid.

“Ah,” said Mr. Feltix, turning back to his table. “You’ve been out of the caves for a long time haven’t you Missy? And pregnant too. I don’t suppose I could see…”

“NO! You can’t!” Kallid said, saying what Kreet was thinking.

“Well, sorry. I’m a researcher you know. No time for niceties. A pity. I’m quite a good artist you know. Written quite a few books of my own over the years down here too. I could add whole  _ chapters  _ to our books on kobolds if I could just get a peek. No?”

“No!” Kreet affirmed.

“Pity. A real shame,” said the little gnome, who then hopped back up on his stool. In front of him lay a multitude of books, but also a very large scroll. 

“But you came for knowledge, not to give it I suppose. It’s not fair. Really it’s not. Take and take and no give. Is that a kobold trait? No, humans aren’t any better. They come down here of all sorts of ages and sizes and kinds, but do they let me examine them? Do they pose for me so that I can add to our archives here? No! They do not! And then poof! Seventy years and they’re gone. All the knowledge I could have added gone with them. And what did their modesty accomplish, hmm? The worms get to see them - inside and out! Oh yes, but to help their posterity? Oh no. Mustn’t let anyone see! Mustn’t let anyone  _ KNOW _ . Only the worms…”

Kallid stepped up to the desk as Kreet followed. “How old ARE you Mr. Feltix?”

The archivist looked up from the book in front of him. “Me? I am three hundred and twenty seven years old, friend kobold. Three hundred and twenty seven. My birthday is next week! Would you like to come to my birthday party, friend kobold?”

“Three HUNDRED?”

“...and twenty seven. Yes. Three hundred twenty eight next week. Miss Tribi is only a hundred and ten. Practically a child. Of course you are babes in a crib. But you learn fast. Good thing too, what with death practically a moment away.”

“Miss Tribi?”

“Apprentice,” said the archivist. “She’s back in the crypts now, looking for another book on kobolds in fact. Should be back there. You’ll meet her later. But here, let me show you what I’ve found. Here, take this end of the scroll, male kobold.”

“Kallid,” he said, but helped the old gnome as he took the large scroll off the desk and began to lay it out on the floor.

“You want me to remember your name, give me something to remember it by! Now you are male kobold #1. Now look here, female kobold…”

Kreet looked closely where the gnome was pointing, and soon she realized that what she was looking at was a map. A huge map! The entire Royal City was just a dot that the archivist was pointing at.

“Ah, this is the Royal City here, see? Now it took some time, but we finally found your monastery. It took quite some effort. Good thing you remembered the Abbot’s names. That was the key, you know. We found the key in the archive of abbots. Your monastery is far off in the Dunis district. Waaaaaaay over…. Male kobold, if you would be so kind as to continue to open the scroll that way? Ah yes. Good…. So your monastery is waaaaaaay over… here.”

At that the gnome pointed a gnarled finger at a spot far away on the map. She peered at the little dot and then looked back across the scroll to where they’d started. It looked like an awfully long distance.

“Um… how far is that? From here?”

“Oh! Oh… um. Well, let me think…” the archivist began. “I’m great with research, you know. Not so good with math.”

  
  



	40. Miss Tribi - (Kreet 72)

While the three were peering over the map-scroll, footsteps approached from the stacks of books, scrolls and sheaves of paper that stretched behind Mr. Feltix’s desk. 

“I found something, Mr. Feltix,” came a feminine voice that echoed through the space. “Not in Common though. You’ll have to translate it.”

“Ah, thank you Miss Tribi. Just leave it on the table. I’ll get to it shortly. Can you bring the measuring string from the supply cabinet?” the Archivist asked, not looking up from the map. “Now let me see. Cartin is about 20 miles from here. Mind you this is no surveyor’s map. At best it will be a rough approximation. And this is a copy too so the copyist may have made some mistakes as well.”

A thump came from the desk behind her. Kreet looked up to see a tail slide into a side door and her eyes went wide. The tail looked awfully familiar. 

“Kallid!” she hissed in a whisper, not wanting to disturb Mr. Feltix in his analysis of the map.

Kallid looked up, curious, but Kreet just pointed to the storeroom door. Kallid turned to look.

The door opened and in it was the largest kobold Kreet had ever seen, holding a string with knots tied at regular intervals, wrapped around a holder.

“Here it is, Mr. Feltix. Ah! I see they’ve arrived!” said the newcomer, handing the string to the Archivist.

Mr. Feltix stood up, his knees creaking. “Ah! Thank you Miss Tribi,” he said, accepting the string in it’s wrapped-up holder. “Now, male kobold #1, if you’ll just take this end and hold it over the Royal City…”

Kreet and Kallid stood to greet the apparition. It’s not that Miss Tribi was unusually tall for a kobold. In fact, she was shorter than Kreet and only slightly taller than Kallid. But she was unusually  _ wide _ .

“Oh, don’t mind him,” she said, smiling and holding her hand out to Kreet in the way of humans. “He wouldn’t know proper etiquette if it bit him. I’m Tribi. And you must be Kreet.”

Kreet nodded and shook her hand. “And this is my husband, Kallid.”

“Good to meet you Kallid,” she said, taking his hand gingerly but barely looking at him.

Kreet could swear she was actually shaking.

“I… didn’t expect you to be…”

“So fat? I know. I don’t think it’s due to lack of exercise. You’d be surprised how much walking I do every day back and forth down here! I think it has to do with the steady human diet. I have a theory about that.”

“Oh, can you all stop your gabbling?” Mr. Feltix said, back on his knees over the map. “We have important work to do here! Now please, if you would, male kobold #1!” he said, holding out the end of the string. Kallid took it and Mr. Feltix slowly began doling out the slack across the map.

“Um. I really meant… that you’re a kobold. I was expecting a gnome honestly.”

“Oh. Yeah. The whole gnome/kobold thing right? I suppose maybe it’s true down in the Underdark, but up here… the whole thing seems rather silly. Mr. Feltix is a bit… eccentric perhaps. Be we get along just fine.”

Kreet nodded, looking at the Archivist as he crept across the scroll, meticulously counting the knots aloud as he approached her old monastery.

“It’s not just that. He said you’re a hundred and ten years old.”

“ _ What _ ? I am no such thing! I’m forty seven at most! Mr. Feltix, what tales you’ve been telling!”

“Oh? I thought you were a hundred and ten,” came Mr. Feltix’s reply. And he continued counting… from one hundred and ten.

“Excuse me, Mr. Feltix,” Kallid said timidly. “I think you’ve lost the count.”

He looked up at Kallid. “Oh, did I? Well stop distracting me you females! Now I have to start all over! Why don’t you two go do something useful?” 

He began winding up the string and crawling back to the starting point beside Kallid.

“Come on, Kreet. Let’s go get some lunch,” Miss Tribi said.

“Good idea. Kallid, you help Mr. Feltix. We’ll bring something back for you,” Kreet said, more than a little excited to be able to speak with another female kobold.

“I thought we were the only kobolds in the city!” she said as they climbed the winding stairs up and out of the archives.

“You might be,” Miss Tribi said from above her. “Aside from me. And I stay around the cathedral most all the time. A bit of a legend locally I am! The monster of the cathedral. But the locals, they know me well enough by now. I just don’t go out much. Like Mr. Feltix, I live in a room in the archives you know. Been here for all my life practically.”

“That must be quite a story!”

“Oh, not really. Some adventurers found me when I was a whelp outside the Underdark. Lord Pelor knows why they didn’t cut my head off right then. But eventually I found my way here. Been helping Mr. Feltix ever since. I like it down there honestly. All the books. It smells a little musty of course, but I have such grand adventures reading them!”

“So, I have to ask. I’m pregnant, as you know. Do you know anything about it? I’m afraid I simply don’t.”

Miss Tribi looked at Kreet with some sadness. “I’ve been researching it for days, Miss Kreet…”

“Just Kreet, please.”

“I’ve been researching it for days, Kreet,” Miss Tribi corrected herself. “I must say there’s very, very little on it I’ve found. The books I just brought from the shelves might have something in them, but they’re in an archaic language I don’t know. Mr. Feltix might.”

  
“Oh, that reminds me. Is he really three hundred twenty seven years old?”

Miss Tribi shrugged, setting her breasts bouncing. Kreet wouldn’t say it aloud, but it was one of the things she liked about her fellow kobold. She had breasts too. Better yet, they were bigger than Kreet’s. She’d begun feeling like some deformed monstrosity. But then, everything about Miss Tribi was bigger than Kreet aside from her height. She realized that she should see if Kallid might make an extra-large bra for Miss Tribi. She could use it.

“I highly doubt it. From what I’ve read, they rarely go past three hundred. Besides, last year he was four hundred something. He does keep his birthday accurate. But I give him credit. What he knows, he really does know. The trouble is trying to keep track which is which. But nobody living knows much about him. He sort of comes with the cathedral. Some think he literally did. The archives tell of a Mr. Feltix going back centuries. But I’ve found an entry that suggests there have been multiple Mr. Feltix’s over time. Again though, no one around here knows for sure. Eventually you accept it.”

“So, about pregnancy,” Kreet said, changing the subject back.

“Well, of course I have no personal knowledge of such things. I’ve never met a male kobold… before today anyway.”

“Oh? Kallid?”

Miss Tribi nodded, looking away from Kreet.

“What is it?”

“I…” Miss Tribi started, then looked away from Kreet again. “I find it hard to talk about. Especially to his wife. I’m sure you love each other very much.”

“Oh, we do! But what? Tell me. This is just between us two. I won’t utter a word, I promise.”

“Well, you know… I’m in the prime of my sexual life. I’ve read about it! We have about the same lifespan as the humans, and that’s what they say! So… well naturally, I have thoughts.”

“About male kobolds.”

Miss Tribi nodded bashfully. Her eyes began to turn violet.

“Don’t worry! It’s not like I want to rape him. Much…”

Kreet laughed. “Sorry Miss Tribi. He’s spoken for.”

“You know, three hundred years ago there was a scourge that killed all the male humans in the Carlum district. There are stories. It’s said they shared three men among all the thousands of women…”

Kreet gave her a look that was unmistakable.

“Okay. I get it,” she said, avoiding Kreet’s eyes. “Sorry. It’s nature, you know.”

“Don’t worry about it. I understand more than you know. Sometime I’ll have to tell you about how I met Kallid. But to be clear, I’m selfish when it comes to my mate.”

Miss Tribi sighed deeply and finally looked at Kreet directly. “Oh well. It was worth a try. How is it? Is it everything I’ve dreamed of?”

“Oh, Miss Tribi. You don’t want me to go there. It would only make you jealous, and I want us to be friends.”

“Friends can still talk!”

“Well, maybe when we’ve gotten to know each other better, okay?”

“I know. I’m too talkative. But I don’t get to meet other kobolds. Like, ever. And you’re going to go back to that monastery.”

Kreet shook her head. “No, I’m not. Someday I might visit, but no. This is my home. This is where I’ll start my clutch. We’ll have plenty of time to talk.”

Miss Tribi’s eyes lit up at that, a pale blue. “Really! You’re going to stay in the city?!”

“I am,” Kreet said.

“Well then, let’s get back to the archives by all means. And… I apologize in advance if I seem weird around your husband. Just so you understand.”

“That you want to rape him?”

  
“Well… not really  _ rape  _ of course! But nevermind all that. I did find out a  _ little  _ about kobold pregnancy. Let’s go back and I’ll tell you what I’ve found.”


	41. Trust - (Kreet 73)

Kreet and Miss Tribi took a food wrapping for Kallid, and began the walk back to the cathedral.

"Now, it was a fictional book of sorts. Really a myth, but it said she was 'heavy' with her eggs and 'went to nest' for two days. Now I assume that means she holed up somewhere to deliver the eggs - not that it took two days to actually lay them. Just based on every other large egg-laying species it really shouldn't be difficult or take long at all."

"Okay. Anything else? Anything about how long before they hatch? Or, did she stay with them all the time till then?"

"Well, the bit about 'going to nest' for two days implies that she left after that. Of course, she would have returned, but she wasn't bound to the eggs. I think it's safe to assume you don't need to be there constantly to keep them warm or anything like that. Maybe if we were in winter or something, but you should be fine there. Now, as to the eggs themselves, there's an adventurer's chronicle that seems to be quite reliable. Of course, the outcome for the kobolds isn't so good, but we take what we can from all sources."

They stopped at the steps of the cathedral, but Kreet was fascinated. "Oh, let's sit on the steps and tell me more! Anything is valuable to me!"

"Yes, let's. So, these adventurers came across a kobold's nest. Two eggs. They're described in pretty good detail actually. Rubbery, not hard shelled like a chicken's egg. Of course that makes sense since they have to grow within you. Well these were quite taut. Presumably when the baby kobold pierces the shell with tooth, claw or horn it pretty much instantly snaps open. None of this chipping away at bits. Once the membrane is ruptured the child is truly born. In this case there were only two, mind you, so the size of your three may vary, but the chronicler says they were roughly the size of a large grapefruit. Oval in shape but malleable. And different shades. It turned out that the color of the egg matched the major color of the kobold inside."

Suddenly Kreet realized she didn't want to find out how this story ended. She stood up.

"I think that's enough," she said, and Miss Tribi nodded. 

"Yes. It did not end well for the kobolds."

Kreet closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to get used to this, though it always hurt.

"Okay, let's go back," she said. "Anything at all on the length of time between laying and hatching?"

"Afraid not," Miss Tribi said, holding open the massive doors into the Narthex for Kreet. "Nothing definitive. It's possible the books I brought to Mr. Feltix might have something on that though. They're not exclusively about kobolds, but they do concentrate on the reproduction habits of various non-human races. In quite some detail I gather, given the illustrations!"

Kreet looked up at her as they began back down the circular stairs.

"You really don't get out much, do you Miss Tribi?"

Miss Tribi's face turned into a caricature of sadness.

"I know. I'm pathetic. I've gotten used to it. I've thought about running off to the Underdark, but I've read plenty about it. I don't want to become a slave, Kreet. I'd rather be a pathetic, sex starved fat kobold down here in the archives than that."

"Have you considered mingling with the humans? Just to get out I mean. They're not that bad really."

"I tried once. Years and years ago. I was a lot thinner then. Almost your size, though not as tall of course. I met some people and we started going out to places. But then... No. Sorry Kreet, I really don't want to talk about it. Let's just move on. Suffice it to say that I stopped going out."

"I'm sorry Miss Tribi. They can be cruel sometimes, I know. But so can we, when we're in the majority. Don't blame it on the race as a whole."

They continued downwards to the bottom.

"Oh, I don't. It's a lot better than being a slave down here though. And the clergy are fine people. But I really don't want to go out anymore. So I work the archives with Mr. Feltix. And read my romances."

Miss Tribi opened the door into the archives and held it open for Kreet. Inside Kallid and Mr. Feltix were sitting at the desk. Kallid had his head in his hands, obviously bored to tears while Mr. Feltix was working through reading one of the books Miss Tribi had brought. At the door's opening, Kallid looked up while Mr. Feltix continued his mumbling.

"You're back! I think he's found something."

Kreet held out the lunch packet for Kallid, who took it gratefully and sat against a wall, opening up an apparently edible treasure.

"Oh? Mr. Feltix? You have something?"

He looked up from his book momentarily. "In a minute. Please. Translation is difficult. Just leave me for a minute to finish this."

Miss Tribi shrugged. "He gets like that when he's studying something. He'll come out of it soon. Probably. Usually."

"I see. So, Kallid, what did you work out with the map?"

"Oh! Well, we counted 73 knots between the Royal City and where your monastery is. Now, it's 2 knots to the town of Rastic which is known to be about 20 miles from here."

"Oh! So how far is it then?!" Kreet asked, getting excited now.

"Well, of course as he said, the map isn't intended to be drawn to scale. It's more a relationship map. Still, those towns on it nearby the Royal City he says are fairly accurate. If that accuracy is maintained across the map..."

"Yes?"

"And if we take 73 knots..."

"And?"

"And have twenty miles roughly equivalent to 2 knots..."

"Kallid! Out with it! How far is it?"

"I have no idea."

Kreet plopped on the ground, exasperated. "Kallid!!!"

"I'm sorry Kreet! I don't do math either! I was hoping you would kind of finish it up for me."

Miss Tribi spoke up then, once again timidly glancing at Kallid. "It's seven hundred and thirty miles. It's not a difficult calculation. Two knots is twenty miles so one knot is ten miles. Seventy three knots is seven hundred thirty miles."

Suddenly Kreet thought about that number. Seven hundred thirty miles. That's a long trip. A very long trip. Months. But not impossible. Maybe someday. After the whelps are born and raised. When she can think about such things again. She should concentrate on her life here and now though. Still...

"I think it would be a good idea to write down the names of all the towns along the way from the Royal City to my old monastery. If I ever do get a chance to travel back there, I can use the list of towns as a guide. I sure can't carry this scroll even if you would let me have it."

"Good idea!" Kallid said. "Have you got something to write with Miss Tribi?"

Miss Tribi jumped when Kallid suddenly turned towards her. "What! Oh! Certainly. One moment. I'll get something."

As she left to get writing materials from the storeroom, Kallid pulled down the scroll again and began to lay it out, kneeling on it to keep it open.

"What's her deal?" Kallid asked Kreet who was holding open the other side of the large scroll.

"Shhh. She's lonely. Never seen a male kobold before. You make her... nervous."

"Me?" he smiled. "Really?"

"Yes Kallid. She's hot for you. Get over it and let's get this done!"

"Hot for me. Huh. Weird world," he said, then scanned the scroll.

"Okay. Here's the Royal City..."

Miss Tribi dropped the writing implements when she rounded the table and saw Kallid on his hands and knees. She apologized crudely.

"Now, I'll read off the names of the major cities along the way and you write them down, okay Miss Tribi?" Kreet asked.

"MISS TRIBI?" she repeated.

"Oh! Sorry. Yes. Distracted. You read the names of the cities. I'll write... Got it."

*************

This continued as they worked their way through the scroll, though Kreet was happy that Miss Tribi did get less and less distracted as they moved across the floor. When finally they finished she was acting almost normal.

"Okay," Kreet said, standing up at last while Kallid rolled up the scroll. "That's it. With that list, I should be able to find my way back to my old home. Thank you very, very much Miss Tribi!"

"Oh, no problem. But you have the whole day. Surely there might be something else we could help you with!"

"NOT A DAMN THING!" Mr. Feltix suddenly declared, causing all three of the kobolds to jump.

"I've read every damn word on kobolds in this book, and there's nothing at all about their birthing, hatching or egg laying! What kind of worthless author would do such a thing? It's pointless! He goes on and on and on about mating habits, breeding specifics. Even breaks down erogenous zones on both male and female! All about getting the pregnancy going, not a damned word on how it progresses or ends! Oh. Sorry female kobold #1. I get upset sometimes when authors don't tell the whole picture though!"

"Oh, it's okay Mr. Feltix."

"It's like he's so damned fascinated by copulation, and couldn't give a fig about the results! I just don't understand such people!"

"I do," Miss Tribi whispered. 

Apparently she had forgotten how keen other kobold's ears are compared to the old gnome. Kreet glanced at Kallid, who smiled back at her. But neither looked back at Miss Tribi, ignoring the comment to spare her the embarrassment.

"You know," Kreet said as she stashed the list of cities away. "There is something else you might be able to help me with.

"Ah, what is it female kobold #1?" Mr. Feltix said, sliding the book away in disgust. 

"Kreet," she repeated. "But anyway... I have to tell you the story first, so you'll know what sort of thing I'm looking for. When I got here - to the slums where I'm staying that is - the sewers were all clogged up. In fact, they were purposely blocked. A wall had been erected long ago - probably around thirty years ago - deep inside the sewer to intentionally block them."

"Ah! Fascinating! Go on!" the Archivist said, his eyes lighting up now. Not literally, just figuratively.

"Well, we broke down the wall and the sewers are working again. I have no idea why they were blocked up, or by who though. But the wall was well built. It wasn't thrown up haphazardly to last thirty years. I feel like somewhere, somebody had to know about it. Maybe something was documented?"

Mr. Feltix looked at Miss Tribi.

"Sewer records? City planning? Building permits maybe?"

"Might have come from a Royal decree. If masons were down in the sewers for days, it wouldn't go unnoticed by the regular sewer workers."

"Yes. You look for secret decrees. I'll check the planning records. Oh, now this is a hunt worthy of us!"

"But Mr. Feltix... the decrees. They're royal decrees."

"Oh balderdash. She's been given the run of the whole archives didn't the Bishop say?"

"But... ROYAL?"

"Well if you find anything, we'll report it. Good enough? This is knowledge we're in pursuit of now Miss Tribi! KNOWLEDGE! We'll not let some privacy issue stand in the way shall we?"

Miss Tribi stood up straight, almost as if in a military lineup. "Certainly not Mr. Feltix!" she said, winking at Kreet.

"Then off with you! Come, you two. You can help carry if we find anything. Male kobold #1, you go with Miss Tribi. Female kobold #1, you come with me."

Three pairs of eyes expanded within their kobold skulls.

"Um... Mr. Feltix," Kreet began.

But Miss Tribi shook her head. "It's okay. I promise. I promise everything will be alright. I need to get over it. I'll be good."

"Kallid?"

"You've been teaching me martial arts. I can use them if I need them!" he laughed.

Miss Tribi looked at Kallid. "You know?"

"I know," he said, smiling at her. "We'll be good Kreet."

"Okay," she said, realizing that it was the first time she'd even momentarily questioned Kallid's fidelity. It bothered her intensely that the thought had even flitted through her mind.

She followed Mr. Feltix into the corridors of shelves and into the depths of the archives, losing sight of Kallid and Miss Tribi almost instantly. As they walked, she occasionally ducked low to see under some books to see if she could catch sight of them, but she caught only a glimpse of Miss Tribi's massive tail once near the entrance, and then they were gone down a perpendicular aisle.

She realized she wasn't being a good wife. She trusted Kallid, didn't she? She didn't know Miss Tribi well obviously, but despite thoughts that were obviously in the woman's head, she wasn't the type to actually... do anything. Was she?

"One minute please, Mr. Feltix. I need just a minute."

The archivist grumbled, but stopped and Kreet sat on the ground, pulled her legs under her and closed her eyes, breathing deeply and searching for the peace and tranquility she'd found so many years ago in the monastery.


	42. Sinner - (Kreet 74)

An hour later found Kreet and Mr. Feltix back at the big desk, as the Archivist was poring over some sort of ledgers and cross-referencing them with another thick book which she gathered was an inventory of building works from the palace. It was menial, tedious work and they had brought back all the ledgers from twenty-five to thirty-five years ago.

Kreet had long ago lost any interest, but the old gnome had gone through three of the ten years' worth of entries so far and showed no signs of stopping. In fact, Kreet was deeply impressed by his diligence. He might be a little strange, but he was clearly the right man for the job.

Then she heard an odd sound. A rhythmic squeal. At first she looked up with some real concern, wondering if perhaps there might be rats down here - but Mr. Feltix didn't look concerned. However, in a moment she heard the voices of Kallid and Miss Tribi speaking in normal tones, and the repeated noise was much too regular to be coming from any creature.

She hopped down and padded towards the sound where she saw Miss Tribi pushing a wheelbarrow full of scrolls while Kallid was carrying some books.

"...not really," Miss Tribi was saying. "We call them 'rolls'. They're not quite the same as actual scrolls which will have two distinct rods and are generally short and meant to be read aloud. Rolls like these are... Oh! Hi Kreet!"

"Hi Miss Tribi, find anything? What's all this?" Kreet said, trying her best to be cordial, but knowing full well her eye color would be giving her away if the woman knew how to read her. Kallid certainly did.

"Royal decrees. We've got five years' worth here!" Kallid said, and Kreet was happy to know he either hadn't noticed her emotional state, or was politic enough to ignore it.

"Just the more trivial decrees, mind you," MIss Tribi amended. "They're written on these rolls. Not deemed significant enough to be bound into a book. But they're not indexed. It will take days to look through them. Oh! What's Mr. Feltix doing?"

"I'm not sure I fully understand myself," Kreet said, though she found herself noticing every crease and fold in both of their clothes. And hated herself for it. "Something about cross-referencing purchase entries with building completion notices. The building completion notices are only for those done by the masons, but the purchase entries in the ledgers aren't separated by type so he has to look through each of them one-by-one. Ten years' worth!"

Kallid looked at the stack of ledgers.

"He's already gone through about three years' worth though!" Kreet added, hopefully at Kallid's look.

"Oh yes, Mr. Feltix is nothing if not thorough," Miss Tribi said as she parked the wheelbarrow beside the wall.

"So now what do we do?" Kreet asked, fingering the hundreds of rolls.

"Well, if you have the patience and ability to stay as keen-eyed as Mr. Feltix, we could start going through these rolls."

"And if not?"

"We wait for him to either finish, or find something. To be honest, it's most of my job down here."

**********

An hour or more passed while Kreet, Kallid and Miss Tribi whiled away the time by talking about Kreet's time in the monastery or Kallid's time in the Underdark. Soon Kreet realized she had forgotten about her worries and silly jealousies. Mostly.

The archivist had hopped off his chair once, left to go up the circling stairs, then came back and resumed his work.

"Call of nature," Miss Tribi explained. "In fact, why don't we go up and stretch our legs too?"

They did so. Kreet and Miss Tribi went to the female lavatory while Kallid crossed to the other side of the Narthex to the male lavatory.

"He's a delight!" Miss Tribi was saying in the privacy of the closed room. "Oh, I'm over all that now. I'm afraid at first I just saw him as... well... a male you know? Thank you so much for letting me spend a little time with him. I feel like a fool now, objectifying him like that."

Kreet thought it a little odd how most females seemed to have no compunction against talking while doing natures' business, and yet from what she'd gathered from Kallid, males seemed to stay quiet and stoically focused on the business at hand.

"Well, give yourself some credit, Miss Tribi. You hadn't much experience."

"True. But... it's like he's a normal person!"

"He is!"

"I know. I read far too much into my romance books. In them they're all either passionate lovers' whose sole desire is to take us to bed, or they're crude animals that want to skip the bed entirely! But he's just... normal!"

Kreet wasn't sure what to say to that, so she just shrugged as she sorted out her robe. Miss Tribi held the door for her again. Kreet wondered if she did that because she was a guest, or due to her condition, but Kallid was at the secret door and urging them on.

"Come on! He's found something!"

"Ah!" Mr. Feltix said when they'd re-entered the archives. "Do you have some sort of a system of organization of these rolls, Miss Tribi?"

"Of course I do! Do you think I've learned nothing working with you all these years? Left to right, sorted by age. The books are sorted bottom-to-top by age as well. They contain annotated details on each decree. I've got all of them from twenty-five to thirty years ago. We can go back for more if needed of course."

"Won't be necessary. Early summer 29 years ago. Masonry purchase. Water-proof grout. Not normal grout like the other palace building projects - completely waterproof. There was a reflecting pool installed later that year, but it checked out. This does not. There are no specifics given, but it clearly is designated as 'sewer project'."

Miss Tribi was already at work, sorting through the rolls until she came across one near the bottom of the pile still loaded into the wheelbarrow. She pulled it out and untied the binding string.

But Kreet was already looking at Kallid. "It was done by the King. Maybe we shouldn't..."

However Mr. Feltix shook his head. "Now now, female kobold #1. You jump to conclusions. Just because it was ordered by the palace doesn't necessarily mean the King himself was involved. Many royal decrees are made by underlings. The Annotations will detail it. And even if it were approved directly by the King, this would have been our beloved King's father - may he rest in peace."

"You say early summer," Miss Tribi said from the floor while she began to scan through the roll. "Can you be more precise?"

"The order was placed on the second day of the third tenday of Flamerule. The decree would have preceded that by a tenday most likely."

As Miss Tribi continued to read through the roll, Mr. Feltix pulled a book from the stack that Kallid had brought and held the spine up to the fading light from the high stained-glass window.

"Ah, yes. This is it. The Annotations for Flamerule of that year. Now if you can provide the decree identifier, Miss Tribi."

"I'm trying, Mr. Feltix!"

"Do you need more light, Miss Tribi?"

"I need no light, Mr. Feltix," came the reply without the assistant even looking up from the roll.

Kreet realized this scene was likely repeated routinely between the two. But Mr. Feltix pointed to some unlit candles on sconces around the walls and asked if Kreet and Kallid might light them, while indicating a couple of extensible candle-lighters against the wall. Kreet showed Kallid how they worked and Kallid was working on the last candle when Miss Tribi announced the decree identifier.

"127.1 - Sewer building project. Interesting! That's all it says. Nothing about what it's for. Usually there's some detail even without the annotations."

But Mr. Feltix was already back at the table with the book of annotations in hand, flipping pages.

"Here it is. Decree 127.1. See there? _Not_ signed directly by the King... authorized by... Oh! Authorized by Bishop Harlie! Now what on earth would Bishop Harlie have had to do with the sewers?"

"Who's Bishop Harlie?"

"Oh," Miss Tribi answered, rolling up the roll again while Mr. Feltix continued to scan his book. "She was our previous Bishop, before Bishop Wynda."

"Yes! This is unique!" Mr. Feltix was saying before she'd finished. "The annotation is quite cryptic. Unidentified sewer-work. Location undisclosed. This is very unusual indeed! The annotations are normally quite explicit on the type and location of projects like this. This has been intentionally made obscure!"

"And I assume Bishop Harlie took the secret of why to her grave," Kreet said as Mr. Feltix closed up the book, having nothing left to be gleaned from it.

"That would be an odd thing to do," Mr. Feltix said as he set the book back on top of the other annotation books. "Graves aren't pre-assigned here female kobold #1. How would she know which one to put it in?"

"She's very much alive, Kreet," Miss Tribi explained. "She lives in the Rectory with Bishop Wynda and the other clergy. She's getting on now. Doesn't hear very well. But you'd better talk about this with Bishop Wynda first. I don't know why this has been made secret, but someone obviously didn't want it to become public knowledge. Not all knowledge is beneficial, despite what Mr. Feltix would tell you."

"It's all beneficial to someone, Miss Tribi! Now let's put this all away. It's getting late and no job is done till the books are back in place!"

Kreet helped Mr. Feltix with his books again, while Kallid headed back down unknown aisles with Miss Tribi. Kreet watched them leave, chatting away about secret conspiracies of the past. She wasn't too worried about Kallid getting into any mischief with the buxom Miss Tribi any longer. But the thought still refused to die altogether.

"Female kobold #1?" Mr. Feltix said, breaking her out of her reverie. "Are you coming? You'll never find it on your own."

"Ah, sorry. Yes. Distracted."

This time she refused to glance down the perpendicular aisle to check on her husband. Until she actually got there. She found she was unable not to look, but there was no one in sight this time anyway. She chastised herself internally for her lack of trust again, knowing now that she would never be completely free of suspicion. It felt very wrong, but she simply could not wring it from her mind. She would have to learn to accept her own faults like this, and try her best to overcome them. But it did lower her self-image a little. She'd always thought she would be above such feelings. No, she wasn't a saint after all.


	43. Kobold of a Different Color (Kreet 75)

As they left the archive, Kreet and Kallid heard the monks singing again in the cathedral upstairs. The evening service had begun. Miss Tribi had vowed she would continue to research the birthing of kobolds and let Kreet know if she found anything of significance, but as for the sewer wall investigation, Kreet knew what she needed to do. The Bishop would be at the service, but Kreet needed to speak with her before returning to the Baby Dragon. However it would be at least an hour before the service would be over, so instead Kreet and Kallid stepped out into the darkening evening and walked to the park on the other side of the street.

“Hey! There’s Sig!” Kallid shouted and ran towards the big man who had his back to them. However Kreet was in no shape for running. Kallid soon realized this and ran back, apologizing all the way.

“No, it’s okay Kally. Go on. I’ll be along. But let Sig know we can’t go back yet.”

Kallid shook his head and took her hand. “He’s not going anywhere. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. Just… fat.”

“There’s a difference between fat and pregnant,” he said. They walked on for a while and Kallid pointed out the red clouds.

Kreet smiled. “They are beautiful. But don’t red clouds signify something ominous?”

Kallid shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Not a lot of clouds down in the Underdark. I don’t talk about it, but I have to say - the sky Outside really fascinates me. I feel like my whole life I was missing clouds and didn’t know it.”

“I’m sorry Kally. I didn’t think about that. Say, we’ve got the roof finished. How about we sleep up there tonight? Nice breeze, and if it rains, we’ll just go in.”

Kallid nodded rapidly. “I love it up there!”

“Hey Sig,” Kreet called when they were fairly close. He was sitting on a bench, and her voice obviously startled him.

“Sig? Everything all right?”

“Oh sure. Just napping. I was looking at the moon coming out.”

Kreet explained the situation, and for the remainder of the hour they sat together on the bench, looking at the sky - each for different reasons. But finally they heard the monks singing the concluding song of the service and they started towards the cathedral.

Kreet met the Bishop at the door as she was greeting the people filing out of the cathedral, but she stayed out of the way until the people had thinned out.

“So, Kreet. Don’t think I don’t see you over there. I trust your time in the archives was fruitful? You met Miss Tribi?”

“Oh, yes! She’s a delight! Why didn’t you tell me you had a kobold right here under the cathedral?”

“I thought you’d appreciate the surprise. I don’t see her or Mr. Feltix much anymore. Duties and all, you know. So what did you find?”

“I didn’t learn a lot about my pregnancy really, but I now know where my monastery is!”

“Really? That’s wonderful! Is it near?”

Kreet shook her head. “About seven hundred miles away in fact. No wonder no one ever heard of it or Fallon.”

“So what are your plans now? Still planning to stay in the city?”

“I am. But Bishop, I need to talk with you. Right away if I could… and in private. It’s about something else I learned.”

“Oh? Well certainly. I’ve a few minutes before I have to get back to the palace. Come, we’ll go to my office.”

“Kally? Sig? Wait for me. I’ll be back soon,” Kreet said to her companions, then followed the Bishop back inside.

***************

Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the cathedral again.

“So?” Kallid asked. “How’d it go?”

“Well, the Bishop certainly took it seriously. She’s bound me to secrecy till she can investigate though. Which is an awfully rare thing under Pelor. We’re supposed to represent bringing light to darkness. Secrecy is antithetical to our beliefs usually!”

“Are we in trouble?” Kallid asked, but Sigmunder spoke over him.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“The sewer wall, Sig,” Kreet began. “It was authorized by the previous Bishop! But Bishop Wynda promises she’ll investigate. And she promised to let me know. But I have to keep it quiet - at least until she can find out why it was blocked up. We’re not the only religion in the Royal City you know, but we are the major one. And we have the King’s ear and the public’s respect. She’s afraid this might threaten that if word gets out. But… before I go on… do you have a cart for us? It’s a long walk back to the Baby Dragon.”

“Oh! Sure do! It’s over here. Follow me.”

Soon they were once again bouncing over the rough streets of the Royal City. As darkness came on, Kreet and Kallid got fewer stares from the locals in their shaded cart.

“Do you think she’ll really tell you the truth, Kreet?” Sigmundurr said without turning back as he pulled the rumbling cart along.

“She’s a Bishop of Pelor, Sig. Look, I can’t imagine why it was done. But there must have been some good reason. Maybe it’s not a reason that anyone wants to get out, but there has to be a reason! I just hope they don’t decide to block it up again! But yes. I have every confidence that the head of my religion will let me know the truth. However…”

“However?”

“I might not be able to tell you two.”

“Not tell me?” Kallid asked. “Your own husband?”

Kreet thought about that. In the eyes of the church a husband and wife were considered to be one body - one spirit - linked for life. She made a decision.

“You know what, yes. I’ll tell you. No vow of secrecy can prohibit me from telling you. Pelor teaches that the bond between husband and wife is inviolate. Even the law prohibits testifying against your own spouse. No, there will be no secrets between us, Kallid. That I promise you. As for you, SIg…”

“Damn clerics,” he said again, not for the last time.

******************

The Baby Dragon was modestly busy that night, but Kreet let the others do the work. She just didn’t feel up to it.

“No, I’m fine Kally,” she explained. “Just all that bouncing has me wanting to rest. I’ll just stay here and watch the crowd.”

And so she did, getting up only rarely to greet people she had come to know. The foreman and his workers dropped in for a few minutes, but left after having scheduled their free stay later in the month.

Finally the night was at an end and the doors were shut. Kreet made good on her promise to Kallid though, and they brought blankets up to the rooftop and set up a little pile of blankets in one corner where they could watch the moon and stars wheel overhead - and they made sure the pile was big enough for both of them this time.

It was blessedly cool and Kreet dropped off to sleep with her head in Kallid’s lap, looking at the moon and thinking of Eilistraee.

Sometime later, a call of nature struck and she rose from the pile and headed towards the stairs. However, before she got to the stairs, something in her slipped.

Suddenly she felt she had to go to the bathroom. Now.

“Oh hell! Not up here!” she thought, desperately looking for a place she could at least be private. She found a dark place behind the rise where the stairs came up, and squatted for a minute.

Then the something slipped again.

She realized immediately that this was no bowel movement. This was something else. This was IT.

The slipping stopped momentarily, blessedly.

She took two deep breaths and looked up at the sky. Pelor was not there, but probably Eilistraee was, in the form of the moon.

She prayed a short prayer to both Pelor and Eilistraee. Her life - Kallid’s life too - was about to change in a fundamental and permanent way. She thought briefly about the things she hadn’t accomplished yet. Things she thought she would, or at least should have done before this day came. But it was too late now. From now on her life would be refocused and there was no use regretting what hadn’t been done now. She would make the most of what she had.

“Well, I guess I knew it was coming. I’ve done all I could, Lord Pelor. And thank you for your help, Eilistraee. You know I’m not a devotee of yours, but you’ve helped me - no, us - in ways I probably don’t even understand. I could use any help you could throw my way tonight too though.”

“KALLID!” she called. Loudly but hopefully not alarmingly. “KALLID!”

She heard him stir.

“Kreet? Kreet, where are you?” he called, not seeing her.

She heard the anxiety rise in his voice.

“I’m behind the stairs,” she said, trying to sound confident, as she got to her feet. “It’s all right Kally. Really it is. But I could use your help.”

She saw him round the corner, concern etched on every scale of his face.

“Sorry. I thought I had to go to the lavatory… But it’s not that.”

Kallid took her hand.

“Take me back to the pile, Kally. I think I’m going to be laying our eggs under the moon tonight.”

A few minutes later she was back on the pile of blankets. She heard Kallid go downstairs to wake up Sigmundurr and Marge.

She was staring at the moon when the first of the eggs descended. She saw Eilistraee’s face looking down at her, and felt the goddess take her hand. It wasn’t so bad really. An involuntary shove from deep within. A stretching of parts that had never been stretched before, but not really painful. A relief when it was done.

“Two more,” came the voice of the moon. “You’ll be alright, Kreet.”

The next spasm was easier. She really wanted to see the eggs. Two of them. Somehow she knew they were sisters. She looked at Eilistraee again. Someone was coming up the stairs.

She closed her eyes and squeezed the hand again. This one took a little longer. Whatever muscles within her that had pushed out the other two were tired. One more, she willed. Just one more.

He arrived into the world as every other kobold had done since their race first began, and Kreet knew this one was special. She’d have to make sure she didn’t treat him any different from the girls - but that was going to be hard. He was the last though.

“Last one out of the pool!” she chuckled.

She heard the voice of her husband. “What? Kreet?”

She opened her eyes again. It was Kallid’s hand she held. Eilistraee was gone, but it was alright. It was done.

She heard Marge and Sigmundurr then and she looked back weakly. “Hi guys.”

“Hi Kreet,” Sigmundurr said, while Marge looked lower.

“Oh wow!” Marge said, and both Kallid and Sigmundurr looked down between Kreet’s legs.

She laughed weakly. “Can’t a girl get a little privacy around here?”

“Kreet! You… you did it!” Sigmundurr said, an awe in his voice she’d not heard before.

“Yeah, I did. No thanks to you, my absent husband!”

Immediately she saw his eyes start to water.

“Oh, lighten up Kally. It’s okay. Really it is. I’m sorry, I wasn’t serious.”

“But… I missed it!” he cried. “I’m so sorry! And I left you alone.”

“I wasn’t alone. Eilistraee was here with me.”

“Really?” both Kallid and Sig repeated.

“Really. She helped me through it. It wasn’t long. You didn’t miss much!”

“Have you seen them yet?” Marge asked. There was a touch of wonder in her voice.

Kreet marshalled enough energy to lean forward and looked at the eggs. Three perfectly shaped kobold eggs. Under the moonlight one was a pale green, another the brown of Kallid. She knew instinctively those were her girls. But the third one…

She’d never seen that color before. An iridescent and deep blue. It looked like no kobold she’d ever seen. None she’d ever heard of. Kobolds were generally colored in muted earth tones. But this was far from subtle. This was her boy, she knew. But he would not be like any other kobold she’d ever heard of. Not if that shifting shell was the color of the child within. For better or worse, this child was not going to live a normal life. That much was clear.

She looked at Kallid and Kallid looked back at her.

“Wow,” Kallid said. “Did we really make him?”

“Well, I sure haven’t been fucking any other kobolds! I can tell you that! Have you? If it’s not yours, it’s a goddamned miraculous conception!” she spat, knowing she was venting her own self-doubts, and wishing she could stop the words before they came out. But it was too late. The damage was done.

“No! I didn’t mean that!” Kallid said, backing away, but she grabbed his hand and wouldn’t let him go.

“Kally, I’m sorry. I’m… very emotional right now. Don’t take anything I say to heart. Please?”

“Do you think I can hold them?” he asked timidly once he’d recovered from her rant.

“Bring them all up here next to me. I want to see them. And for god’s sake somebody put a blanket over me. There’s not a single kobold doctor here, and I’m tired of you all staring at my lady parts!”

Kallid did so, bringing up each precious egg one by one. The Kreet-colored egg, the Kallid-colored egg, and the one that defied explanation.

“I have seen a color like that before,” Kallid said as he lay beside his wife. “In pictures.”

“Of dragons,” she completed for him, and he nodded.

“Baby Dragon Inn. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad name after all,” Sigmundurr said quietly.


	44. Night - (Kreet 76)

Sigmundurr carefully lifted her from the blankets and carried her back to her room while Kallid gathered up the eggs and followed her even more carefully.

Once she was laid back atop her blankets and the eggs set beside her, she fell into a peaceful sleep. Kallid lay on the bed beside her, watching over her until the morning came.

She awoke once and had a brief moment of panic till she felt the three eggs beside her, and she pulled them to her chest before falling back to sleep.

“Good morning Kally,” she said as she pried one eye open. Given the angle of the light, she realized she was probably wrong about that though.

  
“Afternoon, Mother,” her mate said, sticking his head over the edge of the bed and looking down at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. And thirsty. I know now why that story said she stayed with her eggs for two days. She probably couldn’t stand up!”

Kallid brought her a cup of water.

“Marge made some broth for you. If you feel like it.”

“In a while,” she said. “We’re going to have to name them you know.”

“I know. Of course we don’t know what sex they are yet, but I’ve been thinking about that. How is it we never thought about names before?”

Kreet smiled. “I don’t think either of us realized they were really real till now. Three new lives, right here with us. Suddenly we’re not just Kallid and Kreet. Now we’re five!”

“Five,” Kallid repeated. “I wish I knew how long before they hatch though.”

Kreet looked up at Kallid. “My boobs hurt,” she said matter-of-factly. “I don’t think it will be very long, if my body knows what it’s doing. We grow fast, you know. Compared to the humans I mean. Also… I know what sex they are.”

Kallid frowned. “Now don’t be silly. How can you possibly know that? Eilistraee?”

“I don’t think so. Instinct maybe. But I know. This one is little Kreet. This one is little Kallid, but she’s a girl too. But this one. I don’t know what he’ll be, but he’s definitely a he. Last one out. I think we made him that last night.”

“Probably! Well we can’t just give the girls our names anyway. Also the humans use surnames. Since we’re living here, they’ll be expecting last names too.”

“Kallidson. I’ve already thought about it. It flows.”

“Doesn’t that imply a boy though? Son?”

Kreet shrugged. “Probably. I don’t care. We’re the Family Kallidson. I like it, and you have to like it.”

Kallid rolled back over, looking at the ceiling. “I like it. I’m glad you do too. It might make us seem a little bit more a part of the community. The Kallidson family. Oh, they’re kobolds too.”

“Well, I thought about Kreetson, but it just doesn’t flow as well.”

“I’d have been okay with it though. Let’s face it, you’ve always been the leader of this family.”

“Because I didn’t let you be,” Kreet said, but she was watching the patterns swirl as she turned the dark egg slowly. “I dragged you here.”

“Not exactly kicking and screaming, mind you!”

“No. You were in love though. I could have told you to jump in a lake of fire and you’d have done it.”

“Still would,” Kallid said, smiling at her and she smiled back.

He went on, “But as to names... Names are important things,” Kallid said, turning back to the ceiling. “You don’t think about it, but they are. Each of these children will grow up with the names we choose. They’ll probably hate their names.”

“I liked ‘Kreet’. Short and to the point. Like me. It sounds harsh next to human names, but it’s me. And I like Kallid.”

“It flows,” he said. “Just like me pouring drinks.”

“You’re not a bartender anymore, Kally. Now you’re a father. Who happens to work as a bartender.”

“I know. It’s some serious pressure. I’ve no idea how to be a father. I need to get back to practicing again. At very least a father should be strong enough to defend his family. They might need defending, being brought up in a human city. Human kids can be hurtful.”

Kreet thought about her brothers and sisters. They hadn’t been hurtful, she didn’t think. But they were barely more than vague images to her memory now. Maybe they would have been, if she’d grown up with them.

“Well, both our names start with the same sound. We could roll on with that,” Kreet said. “I had a sister named Kalindra. That’s a nice name. And it starts with ‘Kal’. What do you think? Kalindra for your brown daughter?”

“Then we’d never know who you were talking to when you call one of us ‘Kally’!”

“Well I like it, anyway,” she said, putting a fake pout in her words.

“Kalindra. Yeah, I guess that can work. And the other daughter? Kreetindra doesn’t exactly flow.”

“‘Kr’ just sounds harsh in Common,” Kreet pointed out, now turning her green daughter’s egg around slowly.

Suddenly Kreet noticed a movement within the egg under her finger. Very slight. It would never have been noticeable had she not been touching it.

“She moved! Kally, I felt her move in there! Just a little.”

“Active little girl!”

“She’s dancing, I think. My little girl’s going to be a great dancer.”

Suddenly she knew what she wanted to name her other daughter.

“Kally, her name will be Grace.”

“Grace? That’s a completely human name I think.”

“It is. But she’ll be Grace. Grace Kallidson.”

“You’re not exactly letting me pick these names, are you?”

“Don’t care. Her name is Grace. Deal with it. You can name the boy.”

Both turned their eyes to the dark egg. The elephant in the room. Kreet knew she loved this one just as much as her daughters, but he was going to be special. He needed a good name. A special name.

“Night,” Kallid said. “His egg looks like night. Just after the sun has set and there’s a hint of blue still in the sky, with a fringe of the red clouds left barely where the blue meets the black of night.

“Night,” Kreet said, mouthing the word to try and hear the word without it’s meaning. “Night. It could be thought of as a bad name by the humans. You know they think of night as the time when evil things and evil deeds are done.”

“We’re not humans, Kreet. We are kobolds, and Pelor or no, we are of the night. I’ve gotten used to the daylight. So will they, but our native place is in the night.”

“No. You’re right. We’re not human. He is Night. Night Kallidson. Now there’s a name as memorable as his color. I hope he has a good life. I really do.”

**********************

Three days later Kreet was able to get up and around, though she spent most of the day with the eggs anyway. One night, however, she had a mysterious visitor. She was laying on her blanket pile with her eggs when Kallid escorted her into Kreet’s room.

“Hi Kreet. She asked to speak with you.”

The tall woman removed her hood.

“Bishop Wynda! You came all the way down here?”

The Bishop shrugged. “I heard you’d laid your eggs, and I knew you couldn’t come to see me. I’d made a promise to you though.”

“I’ll leave you two be,” Kallid began, turning for the door, but Kreet stopped him.

“Wait. Bishop Wynda, I made a promise to you too... that I’d keep anything we discussed a secret. I need to tell you now, I’ll not make it a secret between me and Kallid. I’ll not tell another soul, and Kallid can do the same - but I can’t keep any secrets from my husband. The Lord Pelor sees a married couple as a single body, and I just can’t do that to my other half. If you require that of me, best you don’t tell me anything. I trust you to do whatever you think is right. But I would ask you to tell me this one thing… will the wall in the sewer be rebuilt? Because if it is, I can’t stay here.”

“Oh! You’re right of course. It’s okay, Kallid can stay. On condition that what I tell you doesn’t leave this room. The specifics at least. Can you promise that, Kallid?”

Kallid closed the door and turned back. “I give you my solemn word, Bishop. You know I’m not a devotee of Pelor, but I certainly believe in him. I’d not lie to you.”

“I trust you, Kallid. May I?” the Bishop said, indicating the edge of the bed.

“Certainly, Bishop Wynda!” Kreet said. “Please forgive if I stay with my children.”

“I’d have it no other way. Come, Kallid. Sit here beside me. I have a story to tell you both, so that you will understand why the wall was built. I have spoken to Bishop Harlie. She didn’t want to talk about it for quite some time, but she is still a servant of Pelor who brings light to all things. I wore her down eventually.”

“I see,” Kreet said, shifting the blankets to get comfortable. It appeared it was going to be a long story.

“It began long ago, well before the wall was built. The kings of the Royal City have long been worshippers of Pelor, and he has rewarded them well. The city prospered and grew rapidly. Of course, with any great city, walls had to be built… sewers and water brought in… a trade system maintained to keep the food flowing in and goods going out. It’s the basis for all large cities. We don’t grow enough food here, but we do produce things that can’t be bought anywhere else…”


	45. Answers - (Kreet 77)

Bishop Wynda continued her explanation of the reasons the sewer had been walled up, while Kallid and Kreet listened attentively.

“This city wasn’t originally the home of the Royal family. But as it grew and expanded, it was so prosperous and well-designed that it became the seat of government. The palace was built, along with the cathedral. Of course this was hundreds and hundreds of years before our time. But problems began to show themselves. Flaws in the plans. The nobles and tradesmen began to complain…”

“Sewer problems? Was it overloaded?” Kallid conjectured.

“No. It wasn’t that. Problems with the people. The poor began to find their way from the surrounding countryside into the city. Some were welcome, mind you. But others found no place here. The early Kings were magnanimous however, and doing so brought more into the city. But times are cyclical. The prosperity that allowed generosity to the poor waxed and waned over time. And during the downturns the poor did what they always do. They turned into beggars and thieves. So those in charge began the thieves’ guild. I suppose that was our first step away from the path of Pelor. Because it was both necessary, but also could not be officially sanctioned. How could we tell a wealthy citizen that his house had been ransacked and we knew who did it, but we weren’t going to give it back? So we kept our involvement secret. In darkness.”

“Couldn’t you just have the Watch step in? Find the thieves?”

“Sure! Now keep in mind, this was long before I came on the scene as Bishop. Even before Bishop Harlie. We inherited our share, of course. And the church didn’t actually create the thieves guild. We just… allowed it to happen. And it worked, fundamentally. When people are desperate, when they simply cannot live within the laws, thievery is unavoidable. But the thieves’ guild worked. It didn’t stop thievery, but it stopped the violence associated with it. Because those who had to resort to thievery feared the Guild more than they feared the Watch.”

“So, how does this relate to the sewers?” Kreet had to ask.

“Ah, you see, I’ve addressed thievery. I haven’t addressed the beggars. Because really it is the beggars that are the most noticeable sign of a failing city. Thieves hide. Beggars do not. They get in your face. They make themselves appear even more miserable than they really are, to prey on the sympathies of those better off. And they use children. Something had to be done about the beggars. The nobles complained. The merchants complained. And they really were beginning to flood the city. They tried a Beggar’s Guild, but it collapsed. Then they passed laws and arrested the beggars. Can you guess what happened then?”

Kallid shook his head, but Kreet had an idea. “It worked, didn’t it!”

Bishop Wynda smiled at Kreet. “You’re clever, Kreet. Yes, it worked. Too well. Why do you suppose that was?”

“Free room and board?” Kreet suggested.

“That’s it exactly. I wouldn’t say the beggars wanted to be arrested, but they certainly didn’t fear it. And the nature of them requires them to be obvious, so they’re not hard to catch. The Watch jails were soon overrun with beggars - children mostly, but whole families sometimes. This went on during a downturn in Bishop Harlie’s time. The King couldn’t exactly make the beggars suffer in jail though. He fed them and clothed them and kept the families together, but there simply wasn’t enough room. He desperately asked his advisors for any ideas.”

The wheels turned in Kreet’s head.

“They sacrificed a whole section of the city to allow the beggar-class a place to live,” she surmised. “The housing values dropped in the area that was no longer served by the sewers. Everybody moved out that could afford to. But the beggars had a place then.”

“It seemed like a good idea to Bishop Harlie. And to the King,” Bishop Wynda said, her face full of distaste. “And it was, for a while. The King sent in rations regularly to those who lived here, and the beggars were rarely seen in other parts of the city. They had homes here. It was, in a sense, a jail with no bars. They thought they’d found a good - if not great - solution.”

“So, why would you not rebuild the blockage now? Keep the slums down?”

“Because Bishop Harlie is no longer Bishop, and the old King is dead. You can see the vast majority of slum buildings are unoccupied - because they are un-occupiable. Buildings are falling down for lack of maintenance. People are getting hurt, dying here. Not to mention disease. I cannot condone this. I’ve spoken to our King and he agrees. There are too many problems with this solution. But also, entire generations have now grown up in the slums. They’ve grown up to accept the conditions here. I had a private meeting with the King yesterday when this came to light. He agrees with me. The solution is worse than the problem. We’ve _created_ a class of poor here. What seemed like a good idea simply _isn’t_. But it had remained hidden, a secret. Even the King wasn’t aware of it. He is now.”

“So what will happen now?” Kallid asked.

“Well, as you know, the Watch has returned to the slums. I suppose the beggars will begin appearing on the streets again. We still need to find a better solution. But for those people that live here… that have created a life here... they should all see their circumstances rise as the neighborhood improves. It will likely always be a poorer neighborhood than the rest of the city, but perhaps not one that people will be embarrassed to call home.”


	46. Friendship - (Kreet 78)

“What a stupid idea,” Kallid said.

Kreet’s eyes grew wide as saucers. She was about to reprimand him and remind him who was sitting right next to him, but the Bishop laughed and had to agree.

“It really was in the long run, but it worked pretty well for years. As problems came to light, the thieves’ guild was repurposed into the Band to keep a sort of order in the place. That wasn’t by any decree, mind you. It just sort of evolved. Still, it would not look good for the church or the Royal house to have it come to light that they - no, _we_ \- had intentionally created the slums. We’re working on correcting that mistake now though.”

But Kallid wouldn’t let it go. “Now that _we_ found out about it!”

“Yes. You’ve certainly helped our city in profound ways already, and it will not be forgotten. Is there anything specific you’d like in compensation?”

“You mean to keep us quiet, don’t you?” Kallid said, not looking directly at the Bishop but resentment on his face.

“Kallid!” Kreet said, upset at his disrespect. “Stop! You’re going too far. The Bishop had nothing to do with it. And neither did the King. They’re trying to fix it. That’s enough for me.”

“No, Kreet. He’s right. And yes. I suppose I do mean to keep you quiet, though I prefer to consider it as recompense for what you’ve done as well,” the Bishop said, but stood up from the bed and turned to Kallid directly.

“For us? Just let us try and raise our family in peace. That’s all we want,” Kallid said, and Kreet smiled inwardly at his boldness. He continued, “We haven’t lived here through everything our neighbors have. Help them get back on their feet and we’ll be happy. Wouldn’t you agree, Kreet?”

She turned to the Bishop. “I do, my husband!”

Kallid went on, unexpectedly. “I would propose maybe having a Royal building project of some sort. Tear down the buildings that are crumbling anyway, and erect something that will bring people into the slums. I don’t know what, maybe a market square? Some better housing? And use the locals for most of the labor. That’s what they need - jobs. A sense of purpose.”

The Bishop smiled. “That’s pretty smart thinking, Kreet. I’ll mention it to the King. I think he’ll like that idea. You know, with thinking like that, you might find yourself on a local council.”

Kreet looked at Kallid, who just shrugged. “It’s just an idea.”

“A better one than the sewers, that’s for certain!” the Bishop laughed. “But I’ve taken too much time from you. I’ll see myself out. Take care of your wife and children, Kallid. Blessings on this family. And thank you, sincerely, Kreet. You _have_ brought light into the city. I couldn’t imagine a better Clerical accomplishment. Not all Cleric duties require adventures in dark places.”

“I don’t know, the archives are pretty dark,” Kreet said, and Kallid helped her up so she could bow properly to her BIshop.

The door closed and they heard the Bishop walk down the stairs to the tavern below.

“Well, where did _that_ come from?” Kreet asked as she lay back down, cuddling her eggs.

“Oh, I don’t know. Just something I thought of when we were riding through the city the other day. The sewers were a problem here, sure. But also there’s just no reason for people who don’t live here to come down here. Out there are all these nice spaces, parks, squares. If the Inn is going to be a success, it needs to have a reason for _being_ here I thought. Not just the cheapest rooms in the city.”

“It _is_ smart thinking. There’s more to you than a perfect lover after all, my husband!” Kreet said, and patted the space beside her.

************

The next evening brought an unexpected visitor to the Baby Dragon Inn. Though Kreet was feeling back to normal by then, she was still spending most of her days with the eggs. She found them fascinating and, though Night’s was obviously the most unusual, she soon found herself just as enamored with the other two. Movement from within had become more common, and she loved to balance them between her breasts while feeling their movements with her snout.

She had Kalindra there when Kallid rushed in from the tavern.

“Kreet! You’ll never guess who’s here!”

Kreet thought of Eilistraee immediately, but brushed that thought aside. It wouldn’t be like the goddess to show up in the tavern anyway. She would probably just… appear!

“No idea, who?”

“Miss Tribi! She wants to come up and see you, but I thought I’d better make sure it’s okay first.”

Kreet sat up, covering herself. “Oh of course, Kallid! Don’t be silly. Bring her up!”

The stairs always creaked when someone came up them. Kreet and Kallid’s room was the first off the stairs so they always knew when someone was going up or down, but Kreet couldn’t help but notice they creaked a little more as Miss Tribi climbed them.

The assistant archivist had not changed since last she’d met her under the cathedral, but she had obviously gone shopping and was wearing a new, brightly colored dress rather than the austere outfit she’d had on in the archives. Kreet hugged her warmly.

“Oh, I’m sorry to bother you, Kreet,” Miss Tribi apologized, “But I just _had_ to see them! And… well, Mr. Feltix insisted as well. He wants me to document them, but I’d have begged to come anyway. I may never see the like again.”

“Of course, Miss Tribi! Come around here. They’re on my blanket-pile over here,” Kreet said, leading the way.

MIss Tribi’s eyes began to water when she saw them.

“Oh!” was all she could say, and Kreet realized suddenly what this meant to the older kobold, who likely would never see her own eggs. Miss Tribi’s eyes shifted colors to a deep shade of blue, a motherly shade. Kreet suspected her own eyes might look like that when she held her children.

“Here. Don’t be shy. Sit on the bed and I’ll introduce you.”

Miss Tribi’s eyes looked so pleading that suddenly Kreet realized she’d lost any animosity she might have felt towards this woman due to her interest in her husband. She had Miss Tribi lay back against the headboard so she could cuddle them properly.

“Okay, this is Grace. As you can see, she’s going to have my coloration. She’s the most energetic of the bunch. You’ll feel her moving inside, I’m sure,” Kreet said as she gently lifted the egg and set it on top of Miss Tribi.

The tears began to flow down Miss Tribi’s cheeks, and she looked at Kreet with such gratitude that no words were needed. Kreet didn’t comment, she just squeezed Miss Tribi’s hand in understanding.

“...and this is NIght. For obvious reasons. He’s the youngest. Last one out. We’ve no idea how he’s come to be that color, but he’s certainly going to be one stand-out kobold.”

Miss Tribi took the dark blue egg and nestled it beside the other. “Oh! I felt Grace move!”

“Oh sure. They all do now. But Grace was the first. She’s probably going to be the first to hatch. She’s practically jumping around in there now!”

As Kreet handed the last of her eggs to Miss Tribi, she had an idea. The joy on Miss Tribi’s face was as genuine as it could possibly be. She really should have been a mother, Kreet thought.

“Say, can you keep them just a minute?” Kreet said, an inspiration coming to her.

“Of course Kreet! Take as long as you want. They’re just _wonderful!_ ”

Kreet took Kallid, who had been watching, outside into the hallway and they spoke in whispers.

“Miss Tribi?” Kreet said as they re-entered the room. “I was thinking…”

Miss Tribi looked up away from the eggs for a moment. “Yes?”

“Now, please don’t get me wrong, but I was thinking… well, _we_ were thinking… You know, running an Inn and tavern is a full time job. And once these little guys hatch, they’re going to be a handful.”

Miss Tribi caught on to where it was going and the grin that began to creep over her features would have impressed a crocodile.

“Miss Tribi, would you consider, maybe, coming over to look after them after they’ve hatched? Just whenever you can. I’m sure Mr. Feltix would love to get more knowledge of kobolds that you could provide.”

“Really Kreet? You mean it?”

“I mean it, Miss Tribi.”

“ _Fuck_ Mr. Feltix, I’ll _quit_ if he doesn’t let me! Oh… sorry. I guess that’s not proper language for a babysitter to use.”

Kreet laughed. “Can I assume then that you’ll do it?”

“You certainly can!”

“We’ll, we’d be glad to have you,” Kallid said. “But I’ve got to get back downstairs. Kreet, I’ll trust you two to work things out?”

“Absolutely,” she said, and then whispered, “Thanks Kally!”

He gave Kreet a kiss and left the room, and Kreet began to take the eggs off of Miss Tribi and place them back on the blanket-pile.

“Kreet,” she said as she handed the last one back. “I… I’m sorry for what I was like back in the archives. I mean… about Kallid.”

“Were you being honest?” Kreet said while setting Grace back with her siblings.

“Yes. But… I shouldn’t have said that. Now you’ll be thinking…”

“What? That you’re hot for my husband? Yeah. I’ll be thinking that. But I’d prefer you to be honest with me than to hide something like that.”

Kreet sat beside her on the bed.

“Miss Tribi, I feel like you’re my friend. Probably my best friend, since I don’t really have any besides Kallid and Sigmundurr. I know Kallid though. He would never. Somewhere deep down I’m a little insecure, sure. But I know my husband. And I think I’m beginning to know you better too. As long as you’re honest with me, I’m okay with it.”

“I’ll be honest with you, I promise,” Miss Tribi said. “I’ve never really had a friend before. I don’t really know how to do it.”

Kreet shrugged. “Just be there, I think. Pretty sure that’s all you need to do. And love my kids. Which I can already see you do.”

Miss Tribi looked back at the eggs. Grace wobbled a little.

“I do!” she said.


	47. Hellos and Goodbyes - Kreet 79

In fact, Miss Tribi became much more than an occasional babysitter to Kreet’s children. Within the week she had become a permanent resident in the Baby Dragon Inn. In fact, she technically had become the first paying resident, taking the room across the hall from Kreet and Kallid’s room. Far from being annoyed at the loss of his assistant, Mr. Feltix had insisted upon it, requiring that Miss Tribi make notes of the progress and send them back to him at regular intervals.

This had freed up Kreet to begin helping out around the Inn, as she no longer lived in constant fear of any of her children hatching without attention. The increasing population of the Inn did cause some other issues to come to light, however.

“Kreet, I think we’re going to need to add another shower or something,” Kallid said one morning after returning from the courtyard with a towel wrapped around him.

Kreet nodded. “I know. It doesn’t help that Sigmundurr has no modesty at all!”

“Well, that’s true too. But I just ran into Miss Tribi when I got out.”

“Oh no! Did she see you?”

“She fainted. I think it’s a good bet she saw me.”

“Fainted?!”

“Twice. The second time was when I revived her. What? Don’t look at me like that! It wasn’t intentional, but I couldn’t very well leave her laying on the ground!”

“I guess we really need to get the baths finished next. I’ll have Sigmundurr bring up the tubs today and we’ll work on getting the tubes reran from the rain barrels.”

“We really do need to. After sparring this morning, we’ll get on it. You ready?”

“To spar with you? Sure! Are your bruises healed from yesterday already?”

Kallid laughed. “If nothing else, my body is learning to heal faster!”

It was a lot of work, but by the end of the day they’d gotten both the second and third story bathrooms functional again. It had become something of a ritual that, after the tavern had closed and if it wasn’t raining, they’d all retire to the roof while Marge went to sleep.

“I don’t think she minds,” Kreet was saying. “She gets the run of the place in the early morning. But I’ve spoken to her about staying on. She wants partial ownership back. A quarter, in fact. I think it’s reasonable. Are you okay with that?”

Kallid nodded. “Sure. We honestly couldn’t get along without her. Oh, did I tell you, the Council is breaking ground on the 110th block plaza? They asked me to sit in on the planning committee! I bet the Bishop had something to do with that.”

Kreet shook her head. “I doubt it. Why shouldn’t they ask you to be part of it anyway? It was your idea.”

Kallid laughed as he tossed an egg up and down. “It was, wasn’t it!”

“Kallid!” Miss Tribi exclaimed from where she lay on the ever-expanding blanket pile, “Be careful with Grace!”

“Aw, she likes it.”

Kreet smiled, but then looked to Sigmundurr who was sitting nursing a mug of ale.

“Sig?” she said, quietly. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just thinking.”

“You didn’t use to think so much, you know.”

“Yeah. I know. Kreet, you know I like you and Kallid, but… I don’t belong here. This is all too civilized for me.”

“I know.”

“What do you think she’d do if I just left? It’s not like she couldn’t find me. I wouldn’t be running away from her. She’d know that.”

“I think it would be fine, Sig. You’ve been a great help to me and Kallid. But I think we can get along without you now. We’ve got the watch back, we’ve got a lot of friends now and the Band is gone. I understand.”

As she was talking, she saw Sigmundurr’s eyes widen as he looked at the moon. She smiled before she even turned around. Goddesses don’t lie. They have no reason to. Her eggs were going to hatch, and quite soon. She wasn’t surprised when she turned around and saw Eilistraee walking towards them from the sky.

“Kallid! MIss Tribi!”

The two turned towards her, and she gestured towards the moon.

She heard Miss Tribi’s gasp, but Kallid had seen such displays before. However, there was a difference this time. The naked goddess’ belly was distended in the late stages of pregnancy.

As she neared, she smiled and held her belly with both hands.

“I could look normal, you know,” she said almost defensively. “I don’t have to be showing!”

“You’re even more beautiful,” Sigmunder said, standing as his goddess set foot on the roof and he put his hand over her belly.

“I am, aren’t I?” she smiled. “And who is this?”

Kreet and Kallid stood Miss Tribi up.

“It’s okay, Miss Tribi!” Kreet assured her. “This is Eilistraee.”

“I know who she is!” Miss Tribi insisted. “She’s a…”

“Goddess,” Eilistraee finished. “Good to know I’ve not been forgotten totally in the daylight world!”

“Eilistraee, this is MIss Tribi. She’s our… oh, what would you call yourself Miss Tribi? Our nursery maid?”

“Yes. That’s it. And a documenter for the archives. But really, I’m okay with ‘nursemaid’.”

“I see! Well, it’s good to meet you, Miss Tribi,” Eilistraee said and Miss Tribi bowed awkwardly. “So you’re familiar with me?”

“I work in the archives,” Miss Tribi explained, and Kreet knew that Eilistraee must be doing something to overcome Miss Tribi’s natural fear of the goddess. “I’ve read quite a bit about the various gods. But you’re not really known as a fertility goddess.”

“You’re right about that! But this brute of a man had his way with me and… well, we gods are at the mercy of nature when it comes to procreation. It seems if we do anything more than holding hands with a mortal of the opposite sex, WHAM! Another half-god is born.”

“As best I recall,” Sigmundurr said with a laugh, “you weren’t exactly struggling to get away!”

“Oh, come here you brute,” she smiled, and held her hands out to her lover. Sigmundurr took her in his arms.

“Careful,” Miss Tribi cautioned. “You’ve got a baby there to consider!”

Eilistraee laughed and suddenly the pregnant shape was gone. “Being a goddess does have its perks! Squeeze away my bull!”

The embrace between the two was sincere and it was obvious that the goddess reciprocated the feeling as much as Sigmunder as her legs and arms wrapped around him. As the two began to kiss, however, Kreet looked away. It was, perhaps somewhat more passionate than she felt comfortable with as an observer.

“Oh, now Sig,” Eilistraee said when she freed herself from his embrace. “There’ll be plenty of time for that and more! Are you ready move into our new home? It's no where near as civilized as this place!”

Sigmundurr looked at Kreet. She stepped over to the big man, and realized suddenly that this may well be the last she might see of him. Tears began to work their way out.

Kallid stayed back. She had known Sigmundurr longer than himself. This was a time for the two of them alone.

“Sig,” she said, and he picked her up and hugged her.

“Kreet, we’ve been through a lot haven’t we, little lizard?”

“We really have,” she said, laughing through her tears. “I’m glad they didn’t cut your balls off.”

“No thanks to you! But I’m glad I didn’t cut your head off too.”

“I’ll miss you, Sigmundurr. I’ll miss you a lot.”

“Me too! Say hi to your kids for me. Tell them about me!”

“Well, I’ll tell them some about you. I might leave out other parts.”

Sigmundurr nodded, and squeezed her tightly one more time. “Damn I really will miss you Gator. You take care of yourself!”

“Sig! My boobs!” Kreet squealed, getting him to lighten up the pressure. “Thanks! I will. And when they’re old enough, I’ll tell them all about you!”

Sigmundurr set Kreet down, and she saw a tear in the corner of the big man’s eye that told her all she needed to know. Why this lumbering, muscle-bound behemoth of a man had taken a shine to her, she couldn’t imagine. But, despite his uncontrollable nature at times, she knew he had changed for the better since she’d known him.

In the meantime, Kallid had stepped up, putting out a hand in the human way of greeting between two men. But of course Sigmundurr would have none of that. He took the proffered hand, but used it only to pull the little kobold into his arms. Then he picked up Kallid bodily and gave him the same fierce hug that Kreet had been given.

“Oh, you come here. I’ll miss you too, you know, little scaley runt. I’d tell you to take care of her, but I know you will anyway. I’ve been watching you out back. You’re getting good with that bow. As for the staff… you’d do damage even now - but remember, Kreet had years of practice. Don’t feel bad that you’re not as good as her, okay? Don’t let it get you down. She will probably always be better than you, but that doesn’t mean you’re failing, okay?”

Kallid nodded. “Thanks. I’ll miss you too, Sig.”

The big man set him back down and punched his shoulder lightly.

“As one new father to another, we’re both starting a new adventure I guess, aren’t we?”

“Yeah,” Kallid said. “Do you have any idea how to be a father?”

“Not a clue, little guy. Just try not to fuck up the kids too bad I guess, right?”

“Sound advice,” Eilistraee laughed.

“As for you,” Sigmundurr said, pointing to Miss Tribi, who recoiled at being suddenly singled out.

“You keep good care of Kreet’s kids. I expect they’re going to be a handful.”

Miss Tribi nodded, her eyes wide.

“Well, I guess it’s time to go then,” Sigmundurr said, and he took Eilistraee’s hand.

“Almost,” she smiled. “Kreet? I think you’d better go hold Grace.”

Kreet turned to her eggs. She saw Grace rocking back and forth rhythmically on her blanket. A horn appeared to be poking at the membrane from inside.

Kreet squealed and raced to the blanket pile, setting Grace in her lap.

A small pop sounded, and the egg membrane fell away. Two huge eyes looked at Kreet, surrounded by a head ridiculously large for the body behind it. The eyes began to glow blue and Grace beheld her mother for the first time.


	48. Success - Kreet 80

“Kreet,” said a voice beside her quietly as she held Grace to her. She looked away to find Eilistraee kneeling beside her.

“Kreet, we’ll leave you now. But I want you to know, we _will_ see you again. No matter what happens, remember that. We will meet again. You have my word.”

Kreet looked at the goddess. Was she crying? Well, she was going to be a mother. Her own eyes were probably pools of tears right now. Would it be so unusual for another mother to get emotional at a time like this?

But the goddess' expression didn’t look like tears of joy. She kissed Kreet’s forehead and whispered, “There _is_ hope, Kreet. There is _always_ hope!”

Kreet was puzzled, but the goddess was already walking back to Sigmundurr. She took the big man’s hands, and they began walking towards the moon as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And then they were gone.

Kallid sat at Kreet’s feet, and she handed Grace to him. The little one struggled a little, trying to get back to her mother, but she calmed down when she saw Kallid’s face.

“Well, now that it’s just you two…” Kreet began, and pulled her robe off her shoulders. “It’s high time we find out just what these things are for!”

Kallid handed Grace back and the little lizard found its place in an instant.

“Well,” Miss Tribi remarked while picking up Night’s egg. “I guess that’s just disproven a lot of theories about breasts and kobolds! Look at her go!”

“Oh! Slow down girl!” Kreet laughed. “Wow this feels _weird_! But good too. What do you mean Miss Tribi?”

“Well, there’s a lot of conjecture in some books. Some say we shouldn’t even have breasts. And nearly none of the kobolds living underground have them at all. They say that since we give birth with eggs, nursing shouldn’t even be something we do. And they say our mouths can’t suckle too.”

“Written by humans, I bet.”

Miss Tribi laughed at that. “Probably! I’d say Grace is doing pretty good considering she’s not supposed to be able to do that!”

Kreet ran her hand over Grace’s head. Though her horns were little more than stubs, it appeared they would be curved like Kallid’s. But true to form, her scales matched Kreet’s greenish-tinted tones. The baby’s eyes were closed as it suckled, but when they occasionally opened they glowed with the same blue glow she’d come to know.

“Um, Kreet?” Kallid asked, and she thought sure he was going to make some crack about being jealous of his daughter, but instead she saw he was holding another baby kobold.

“Kalindra!!!” Kreet exclaimed, and released Grace, who nevertheless held on for dear life.

  
“In all the excitement, I guess she hatched while we weren’t looking!” Kallid said, handing her other daughter to Kreet. Her second breast was soon being massaged by another set of tiny, stubby scaled hands.

“Oh Kallid. I’m… I can’t tell you…” Kreet cried. “Thank you for this!”

Miss Tribi saw it might be time for the two parents to be alone for a while with their children and rose quietly. “Kallid, just come and get me if you need me. I’ll be in my room.”

Kreet looked up at her and nodded.

Kallid stroked Kalindra.

“She has your colors,” Kreet said, stating the obvious.

“She does! They’re the two cutest things I’ve ever seen.”

“And your daughters are pretty cute too!” Kreet laughed.

“Kreet! Did you just make a dirty joke?!”

“Well, I didn’t get these children by devout prayer.”

The two spent most of the night admiring their two newborn children, and wondering when Night might hatch, but he didn’t seem ready to make his appearance yet. Eventually they returned to their room.

Later, Kallid was sleeping on the bed while Kreet was nursing Kalindra again. Grace was sleeping in her lap while she kept Night’s egg beside her.

The feel of Kalindra’s instinctive kneading of her breasts was soothing and she looked up where she could just see Kallid’s tail flopped over the edge of the bed.

There had been times when she’d envied males when she was growing up. As a youth with Karl and Brand, when they were out in the woods exploring she’d seen them stop, urinate, and be back to exploring in seconds while she had to make a whole production out of finding a private place.

And of course, as she’d grown into puberty and adulthood, it irked her that a male could just sow his seed in a female and then abandon her. It was probably what had caused her to jump on Kallid that first time when she’d been drunk. She’d wanted to feel that freedom of irresponsibility and hedonistic pleasure for its own sake. Too bad she’d had to be so drunk to do it that she couldn’t remember it.

But now, in this moment with one of her children suckling at her breast, she knew she would never be envious of them again. They could never feel this. This was an intimacy they managed to approach only for a few seconds while in the fever of mating. No wonder they were so obsessed with it. To be this close - this _connected_ with someone else. They could never experience it like this.

She looked at Kalindra, and stroked her back. The eyes opened and looked up at her, releasing her momentarily before re-engaging again.

This was another person, but a person she had created. A person, at least at this point, that was wholly and completely dependent on her. Sure, Kallid could raise her. Miss Tribi could watch over her. But only Kreet could be her mother.  
  


She looked at Grace, the breath coming and going in short bursts from the tiny lungs. These were hers. And she realized she loved all three with a feeling that overwhelmed her. It seemed totally wrong that the same word could be used to describe the emotion she felt towards them.

She loved Kallid. She loved Sigmundurr for that matter. Differently of course, but quite completely. And yet, the bond she felt for these three children was of a different order. It was visceral and deep. She was their mother, and to say she loved her children didn’t begin to express what she really felt.

She knew now why the mother bear was so dangerous. It must feel like she did towards her children. They depended on her, and she would willingly die for them without question.

Which made her think back to her own mother. She could barely remember her now. She hadn’t had the advantage of breastfeeding to bring these feelings out, and yet she’d had many children - Kreet had only been her last. And Kreet knew instinctively that her mother had felt the same about her and her other siblings. Ultimately she had failed to protect her children, except for Kreet. But she _had_ protected Kreet. A kobold’s life in the wild was hard and short. But her mother had not failed. And these three children were proof of that.

Kreet had lived, and she had borne three children. And there would probably be more. Given Kallid’s amorous nature, it was nearly a certainty in fact. Her mother had certainly not failed. Even if only one child survived, that was enough.

“Thank you, Mother,” Kreet whispered to the darkness. “Thank you for having me. For caring for me. For having the foresight to put me up in that hidden niche before you were killed. For all my life, I’ve felt like a failure. Mother, I’m not a failure anymore. If I never do anything more, I’m not a failure. Look at what I’ve created! I’ve got three children, Mother. Three! And they’re all great! Okay, so NIght’s a little lazy, but he’ll come along soon enough. Hope these two leave him some milk! But I’m not a failure, Mother. And that means you weren’t a failure either.”

Then she closed her eyes and prayed to Pelor. She felt Grace stir and moved her back to her breast without losing concentration. Pelor wasn’t the god of creation or fertility, but he was her chosen god, and she thanked him for allowing her to come this far. She’d done it. She had built a life, a nest, a home - here in this human city. She’d brought Kallid along with her and she’d proven a kobold’s worth even here in the middle of a poor human slum.

She was not treated as an equal here, deep in this city of flat-faces and tailless butts. To some she knew she was still seen as an animal or a monster. But with those whom she’d gotten to know, and those who’d gotten to know her, she at least wasn’t that. They respected her and Kallid - even more, they _liked_ them. She could never be treated wholly as an equal here. Not in her lifetime anyway. She was just too different from them, and too new, to expect that. But they had made a place for her in their society. They’d accepted her, and for now that was more than enough.

She looked at Kallid’s tail, poking out from the blanket overhead. In many ways he’d gone through more hell than she had. He’d taken the brunt of the grossness of the sewers. He still didn’t talk about what had happened when he was with the Band. She had a pretty good idea though. And he daily took a beating from her training. Yet he’d stayed by her side through it all. He’d overcome not with magic, or with a Cleric’s faith. He’d overcome with nothing but his love for her and pure doggedness. He’d borne what he had to bear for her.

She set her daughters down, building a little blanket-wall to keep them pinned in, and climbed up onto the bed and under the covers. She woke her husband and tried her very best to show him how much she appreciated him in the ways nature had given her. Maternal love might be a lot deeper than romantic love, she thought later that night, but there was still a lot to be said for the good old romantic kind too. She didn’t think she could get pregnant again so soon, but she no longer cared either. She’d be happy to bear more of his children. Besides, they would _really_ be hers.


	49. Wings - (Kreet 81)

Three days later, Night was hatched. Miss Tribi had been watching the children while the Tavern was in full swing. They’d even brought in their first Bard, and things really were picking up. They’d rented their second room to a couple of professional stone masons that were working on the new square.

It was really quite amazing that Miss Tribi’s voice carried over the din of the place, but it turned out that her lungs were up to the task.

“KREEEEEEET!!!!”

Suddenly all the noise in the tavern stopped. Kreet wasted one second to look at Kallid, then ran up the stairs at top speed. He was right behind her as they burst into their room.

Immediately they were both relieved to see both Grace and Kalindra pawing at each other on the blanket pile.

“What is it Miss Tribi?! What’s wrong?”

Miss Tribi stood up from the bed and they saw the glistening form of their third child, Night. He was as dark as his egg - a blue so dark as to be almost black. Midnight blue, though his belly was a much lighter tone. He was rooting at Miss Tribi’s breasts through her dress, but finding no purchase.

Kreet took him gently, and lifted her shirt to allow him access. He immediately began to suckle.

However, both Kallid and Kreet knew immediately upon looking at their son why Miss Tribi’s voice had carried a shrill note of alarm when she’d called. Night was different in more ways than simple color. He sported a small set of wings on his back.

Kallid stepped forward as Kreet sat on the bed. They both touched the wings and opened them. Certainly not functional. Not yet anyway, and they immediately folded flat against his back again.

“Well now that is a wonder,” Miss Tribi said, sitting back on the bed on Kreet’s opposite side.”A winged kobold.”

Kreet looked up at her while stroking her son’s back. “Is that… precedented? Have you ever read of a winged kobold?”

Miss Tribi shook her head. “Not that I recall. But the dragon progenitor believers would have a field day with him.”

Kallid cocked his head. “What do you mean? He’s no dragon, obviously!”

Kreet knew this myth, though. It had been high on her childhood reading interests. She began explaining to Kallid, though Miss Tribi’s corroborating nods indicated she knew the myth well.

“No, but those who believe we are descended from dragons… and they’re not few… will look for any possible excuse to show a lineage back to them. Surely you’ve ran into them in the Underdark?”

“Well, sure! Most very loose in the head if you ask me. They’re just trying to raise the stature of the kobold race though, I figure. I mean, we are pretty much at the bottom of the racial pyramid by almost any measure of sentient races, you must admit. I always thought a little pride in one’s race - even if it’s totally fictitious - is still a good thing. And let’s face it, present company excepted, there’s some pretty stupid kobolds down there.”

“There probably are, but there are some pretty stupid humans up here too,” Miss Tribi countered, and Kreet was happy to see her sticking up for a race she’d barely known - even if it was her own.

“Surely you don’t believe we are descended from dragons?” Kreet asked her. “I mean, really? If that were true I’d think it would speak more to our fall from that lofty height than anything we should be proud of!”

“Well, no. I don’t believe it either. I think in the long run it really doesn’t much matter. Besides, if we were descended from dragons, surely there would be some middle-form. A half-dragon, half-kobold race wouldn’t you think?”

Suddenly they all got the same idea and looked back at Night.

“Naaaaaa. He’s just got wings. That’s all!” Kallid said.

“Well, that’s not really what I meant anyway,” Miss Tribi continued. “I mean an entire race that’s somewhere in between the two. An individual… well, that’s just a…”

“He’s not a freak!” Kreet shouted a little too loudly.

“Aberration, I would have said!” Miss Tribi finished defensively.

“Well, he’s not anyway. Look at him. He’s the cutest of the lot!”

As if on cue, the dark kobold released his grip on Kreet’s nipple and looked at the faces staring down at him. He resumed his suckling but began a sort of thrumming noise while continuing to look around.

“He is cute, there’s no denying that,” Miss Tribi agreed.

“What do you think the humans will think of him?” Kallid said, taking his own turn at stroking his son’s back and wings.

“Well, they liked Kalindra and Grace well enough. Why should Night be any different?”

“He looks like a gargoyle, do you realize?” Miss Tribi said.

“Well, maybe,” Kreet had to admit. “But a cute one! That matters!”

“Why, he does _not_ ,” Kallid argued. “He looks nothing like those stone monsters.”

“He might to the humans,” Kreet reminded him. “They don’t see us as we do.”

“Are you thinking we should hide his wings?” Kreet asked Miss Tribi..

“Well, that’s not going to work for long anyway,” she said. “But since he keeps them folded across his back now, it wouldn’t be hard. Maybe just till they get to know him. I mean, he’s already got an awfully dark color and, excuse any disrespect, but you did name him Night. That’s not a very comforting name to humans. I think maybe it would be best to do so - just till the locals get to know him at least.”

Kreet looked down at Night, who happened to be looking right back at her. He released her nipple and stared directly at his mother.

“Sorry, Night. It seems like everything is lining up against you having a peaceful life. It’s not your fault. You’re just my son, and no different from your sisters - except in ways you had no control over. Oh, Night. We’ll try our best to help, won’t we?”

“Of course,” Kallid said, and Miss Tribi concurred.

Marge was the first human to find out about Night’s wings. Kreet was delighted that she showed no particular alarm, though. But just to be safe, they began dressing the children in Kallid-designed simple clothes. Long shirts really. That the shirt covered Night’s wings was not a problem since the wings when folded were barely noticeable through the cloth, and the girls wore the same shirt so it went unnoticed. And Night was almost universally the darling of the three once he was presented to the customers in the tavern.

There turned out to be another problem, though Kreet didn’t want to acknowledge it. She noticed that whenever she would come to relieve Miss Tribi from babysitting duties, Night was reluctant to see Miss Tribi leave. Also, while the girls would scrabble their way over to her at the first sight of their mother, Night was a little less enthusiastic.

Kreet spoke of it with Miss Tribi, determined not to let it affect their friendship if she possibly could.

“I think it’s because he saw you first, to be honest,” Kreet said.

Miss Tribi sighed as they watched all three children playing on the floor. “That’s probably it. But what should I do? It would break my heart to leave, but maybe that would be best. At least for a while. Till he forgets me and understands you’re his mother.”

Kreet looked at her friend. The thought had crossed her mind, more than once. But to have her voice it directly was something Kreet herself could not have done. It left Kreet unable to answer. She couldn’t really agree, because that might look like she wanted Miss Tribi to leave. But she couldn’t argue against it because… well, because she _did_ want Miss Tribi to leave.

Miss Tribi, however, was not clueless when it came to social interactions. She took the hint and, after some tearful farewells to the children, she left the Baby Dragon Inn and Kreet began her full-time motherhood.

It did work. Miss Tribi returned weekly, and Night did show a special fondness for her, but he soon seemed to realize the same affection for his real mother as the girls did. For that, Kreet was deeply grateful to Miss Tribi for understanding and sacrificing her own desires for Kreet and her family. It increased the bond between them, and Kreet began to think of Miss Tribi as her own sister.

In fact, as the children grew and began to learn to speak, they came to call her Aunt Tribi, which Kreet encouraged and Miss Tribi seemed to find delightful.

Of course, hiding Night’s wings couldn’t work for long. Once he had begun walking on two legs, when unencumbered he began to use the wings for balance. Yet when he was downstairs in the tavern, he had problems standing up as he could no longer extend the wings. In fact, it was Kallid who made the decision.

He had returned from a meeting of the design council and was watching his children in the pen he’d created. But poor Night was having a particularly bad time as the girls kept knocking him down. Kallid could see Night’s shirt trying to expand, and he would wince as the poor boy would fall yet again. The last straw was when he noticed Night had stopped trying to stand, and just stayed on all fours.

That night, Kallid made an ultimatum.

“It’s time, Kreet. Have you seen him? He tries so hard, but the girls just are too much. Up here, where he can really be himself, he has no problem at all.”

“Alright,” Kreet agreed, watching the children from their bed. She had taken to sleeping back on the bed in recent weeks. “Should we actually announce it, or just take his shirt off?”

“I don’t think it matters. Just so it’s done. I can’t stand to see him like that anymore.”

And so, Night’s wings were finally exposed to the public. There was no particular shock among the patrons - they’d already become accustomed to the oddness of kobolds in their midst. A winged one wasn’t all that much more unusual, and this was one they’d already come to know.

However, eventually Kallid had to put a top on the pen. Once freed from the imposed limitation of the shirt, Night soon had gotten good at using his wings for more than just balance. He began to use them to hop over and out of the pen, getting into mischief that was fortunately good-natured. But just like a dog wasn’t necessarily hated, yet still was inappropriate in a tavern, so was Night.

The top worked, but wasn’t often used. Instead, Kreet spent more time either outside in the courtyard, or up in their room during the evenings, with only occasional visits to the tavern.

And then the evening came when Night fell off the roof.


	50. Falling - (Kreet 82)

It was a night like any other. The tavern now never truly closed, but with added employees and ever-growing income from the inn itself, the family of kobolds had more leisure time and they usually spent it at night on the roof.

The days were getting shorter and the nights cooler, but Grace, Kalindra and Night loved the freedom of the roof. It had become their playground, and their parents welcomed the luxury of allowing them free reign without having to monitor their every moment. The parapet was a solid wall around the roof, and neither Kreet nor Kallid had considered their son's increasing ability with his wings.

"Kreet," Kallid was saying, "They barely even can speak in kobold! Do you think that's right? If ever they do meet with others, they won't even be able to talk to them."

"Kally, they can barely speak at all yet. And they'll certainly need to learn Common living here. Don't you think it will confuse them more to have to learn both languages?"

Kallid considered that. "I'm not sure really. I grew up with both languages and didn't have a problem with it though. I just... knew which was which from as far back as I can remember."

"Oh, I guess you're right. Okay, how about this... we'll stick to kobold when we're alone as a family. They're going to learn Common anyway."

Kallid laughed as he stood and stretched his legs. "Well first, _you'll_ need to learn to speak in kobold! You speak terribly!"

"Really? I'm that bad?"

"Pretty bad Kreet. Let's do this - while you're teaching me martial arts, I'll teach you kobold. I mean, teach you better. Sounds good?"

Kreet looked over at her children. They were playing hide-and-seek again and Grace was covering her eyes and counting. In Common, she noticed. The other two were waddling around, looking for places to hide. It was a game that Kallid had taught them, though they were really too young for it and they often got into fights over it. But then, they often got into fights over anything.

Kalindra waddled over to Kreet and began trying to crawl under her back.

"Kalindra!" Kallid laughed. "That's no place to hide!"

"Shhh!" Kalindra said, poking her head out from behind Kreet's back and with a finger over her mouth like the human children did. The three were learning from their human playmates obviously too.

But Night was struggling. He obviously didn't want to hide in one of the usual places, so he was searching for someplace different. He fluttered up a couple of feet, turning his head around as he scanned for someplace new.

The top of the low cover that his parents had built on the roof was his typical choice, since the other two found it difficult to climb up. But it had the disadvantage of being the first place they looked for him. Kreet could see he rejected it.

Then he looked at the top of the parapet wall.

Suddenly Kreet felt a pang of fear run down her tail. Surely not.

"Kallid?" she said as she stood up.

"Mom!" Kalindra complained as she was revealed.

"Kallid, look at Night. He's not going to..." she began, but as the words left her mouth her son did exactly what she was afraid of. He fluttered up to the top of the wall.

"NIGHT!" she screamed, and he turned around to face her, a proud smile of accomplishment on his face.

"Night," Kallid said, low but with a seriousness of tone that the youngster couldn't mistake. "Get down off the wall. NOW!"

Though sturdy, the parapet was only a few inches wide - and none of the children save Grace were particularly well balanced.

It was likely he would have fluttered back down to the roof without a problem, had he not looked behind him. But Kreet saw her son's eyes go wide when he saw the drop under his tail. He overbalanced in his reaction and slipped from the wall.

Kreet was frozen like a statue, her arms out as she watched him go over, her eyes locked for a millisecond on her son's - he in a desperate wail for his mother, her in pure helpless agony.

He disappeared, screaming his small thin scream. For a moment she saw him again, his wings furiously beating the air to regain the parapet - but they were too small and too undeveloped. And then he truly fell.

"Kallid, stay here with the kids," Kreet shouted, then without waiting for a reply she was down the stairs.

As she raced through the Inn, she had a momentary image of her actually beating Night to the ground as he fluttered slowly down. In other circumstances it would have been funny. But now her adrenaline-boosted muscles were tearing through the hallways and down the stairs as they'd never done before.

Some people undoubtedly shouted at her, but she didn't even waste a breath on them. She flew out into the street almost in a rage, wanting to blame the gods if the worst had happened.- and knowing she would only be blaming herself in the end.

She turned the corner and immediately saw him, dark in the night on the hard ground. He wasn't moving and one wing was twisted badly. She dropped to her knees and closed her eyes, reaching out with a power she'd not used in quite some time to assess his condition.

He was alive. His head had taken a nasty bump which was probably what had knocked him unconscious. Skull intact though. The wing was dislocated, but no bones broken there either. All in all, a lot better than it might have been.

The power within her shifted to healing, but she also had learned something of physical healing in her training as a cleric. Though the structure was unlike any she'd learned about, with her sense of his body through the power, she knew where the wing bone had to go and she pushed it back into place as gently as she could without opening her eyes.

Her son groaned, and she willed the pain away as best she could - though it would only work while she was actively drawing on the power. She couldn't spare him the pain later, but she knew of a tea that should help.

She refocused her attention on his head. He'd have a bump under his scales, but his brain wasn't damaged. A good thing too. Her mentor had warned her about trying to repair the brain. Touching it with the power could be devastating and was only recommended in extreme cases.

Finally she did an overall scan to be sure she didn't miss anything. Bruises also on his hand, but those would need to heal naturally. A scrape on his knee, but that had been from Grace pushing him down when they were 'playing' earlier.

No, to the best of her ability, he seemed to be alright.

She opened her eyes and saw the small crowd around her. She felt the power leave her and she looked up at the wall. Only three stories, but from here it looked so very high. A waxing moon hung overhead, and she wondered if Eilistraee might have helped her son to minimize his fall.

"How is he?" Kallid said beside her. "Marge is watching the girls."

"He's going to be okay, Kally. He bumped his head pretty good, and a wing was dislocated. I've fixed the wing though. A few other minor bruises. But Kally, he's going to be fine."

Kallid hugged his wife, and Kreet suddenly realized what it must be like for him without any ability to help. It was a terrible feeling - like when she'd looked into her son's eyes as he began to fall. But she had this ability from Pelor, and he didn't.

She looked at the faces of the crowd around her. None of them did. They had their doctor, but even he didn't have this ability.

Kallid picked up his child and carried him back into the Inn. The crowd followed him back in, talking quietly to each other.

"You need help, Kreet?" asked a woman Kreet didn't know well.

She took the woman's hand and stood up. "Thanks Doreen. No, I'll be alright. Just takes a lot out of you."

The woman held Kreet's shoulder for support till they got back to the door. It was at that point Kreet realized she had been making a terrible mistake.

She had been so focused on making a home for her family, she hadn't taken advantage of the powers she had. She'd spoken with Doctor Stevens briefly, but she'd never visited him after that. She'd been wasting her talents at the Inn. Sure, she could wait tables - and being waited on by a cute kobold in a waitress outfit obviously had its appeal to her patrons. But her new waitresses did a much better job.

As for running the inn, Marge was much better at that as well. But Kreet could do one thing that they couldn't. She could heal - and she'd been completely wasting that talent since she'd had the children.

That would stop. Even as she climbed the stairs back to her room behind Kallid, she knew what to do. She would go tomorrow to Dr. Stevens' office and start to help. She knew next to nothing about most potions and medicines, but the doctor could help her learn that. But with physical injuries, she could do so much more than he could.

Back in their room, her daughters were standing around the bed where Night lay moaning with Kallid tending him.

"Night hurts," Kalindra said.

"Night okay?" Grace asked.

Kreet nodded. "NIght is hurting, but he'll be better."

Her daughters cocked their head in the universal sign of misunderstanding among kobolds.

Kallid turned away from his son and smiled at her. "She's speaking in kobold, girls. You should learn it. She said 'Night hurts, but he's going to be alright.'"

And so Kreet began another apprenticeship under Doctor Stevens during the day before the Tavern opened. Within a few days, Night was as good as new, though he complained about the string that his parents insisted he wear on his foot when he was on the roof.

They also began to take weekly trips outside the city to a wide open field where Night was allowed to take off the string and really practice with his wings while the rest of the family had a little picnic or went fishing in a pond nearby.

In time, these trips paid off. While Night was no bird, he eventually had gotten skilled enough with his wings that he could master hovering and lowering himself gently to the ground. A full year passed before Kreet felt confident enough to let him loose again on the roof, though he'd protested often that he would be more careful. But that night had been so traumatic to Kreet that she refused his every effort, until his prowess out in the field had proved too significant to ignore.


	51. Ember - (Kreet 83)

Things began to pick up in the area formerly known as ‘The Slums’ by the next year. The square had been completed and other construction projects had begun - some sponsored by the government, but others by locals.

Kaliinda in particular loved to watch a puppet show at the square, put on by some older kids in the area. Whenever they would create a new show, she would be first in line to watch it - dragging her parents and friends to see it at the earliest opportunity. Usually Grace and Night would come along too, but increasingly Kalinda was spending more time with other human children than with her siblings.

Kreet encouraged that. Though children could be cruel, she knew, getting her kids to socialize with others was the best way she knew to really make them part of the community. And they’d have to learn how to handle that cruelty eventually anyway. Fortunately her friends seemed not to care about her differences and Kreet was glad to let them play in the neighborhood without her hovering over too much.

One day the puppeteers, knowing her daughter’s fascination with their little plays, gave her a puppet of her own. Instantly it was her most prized possession and she would spend hours making up her own stories and learning to work the strings. Night and Grace would be subjected to those impromptu stories, but as often as not they would grab a stuffed animal and join in the story with their own characters.

But Grace was another story. She didn’t socialize with other kids much, and that worried Kreet. Instead, she spent most of her leisure time either reading or in the kitchen helping their new cook.

For her part, Kreet began relying on Aunt Tribi more often as she was now working regularly with Dr. Stevens and making housecalls. But they still gathered daily as a family at dinner in the tavern, seated around a somewhat smaller table that Kallid had made specially for the purpose.

“So, I’ve been thinking…” began Kallid in kobold, their language of choice at the table.

The groan from all the children was audible. Their father’s suggestions almost always entailed more work for them.

“Hush kids,” Kreet scolded. “What is it Kally?”

“I think it’s time you kids started going to school. I was talking to Master Smith this morning at the new school building site, and he says he would be happy to teach you. And it would keep you out of trouble on days we’re gone too.”

Night was the first to protest. “But Da, the human kids don’t start till they’re four!”

“Ah, but you’re kobold. You know you grow up far faster than they do. I don’t see you playing with any four year olds anymore!” Kallid countered.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Grace said, and Night stuck his tongue out at her.

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Kalinda sneered. “You’re a kiss ass!”

“KALINDA! You take that back. She’s your sister!” Kreet demanded immediately.

“Besides, that doesn’t make sense in kobold. You can’t just use the same words all the time,” Kallid pointed out. “It’s much too literal in our language. And pretty gross.”

“Kallid, you’re not helping.”

“What would be better?” Kalinda asked.

“‘Suck up’ works,” Kallid noted.

“I am not a suck up!” Grace whined and Kreet stroked her head.

“Of course you’re not,” she said while giving her husband a scowl.

“I didn’t say she was a suck up! I just said the phrase works better than ‘kiss ass’ in kobold!”

Kalinda began to say something but Kreet put a finger up. “Don’t you say it, Ka! Ah! No!”

“Let’s just give it a try, okay? Just one day a week. I’m sure Miss Tribi will appreciate having some time to herself anyway. You three run her to exhaustion.”

“I don’t,” Grace protested, which produced another tongue from Night.

Later, Kreet and Kallid lay in bed listening to their children in the next room.

“Putting that door into the next room in was the best idea you ever had, Kally!” Kreet smiled as she ran her hand provocatively up and down Kallid from chest to tail. “I wonder if it will be enough though. They’re going to want their own rooms eventually. It’s what they see the human kids have.”

“SOME of the humans have that. Most of the poor ones still live in a single room. We’ll make it work. When I lived in the Underdark we all slept in one communal room.”

“Yeah, but we’re not in the Underdark now. They see how the humans live, and that’s what they expect. A good idea about the school by the way. I hope they don’t disrupt the class too much.”

Kallid laughed quietly. “Grace won’t.”

“She’s a kiss ass,” Kreet giggled.

“Oh, she just likes to please us. You know that. I can’t see that as a bad thing,” said Kallid, now tracing Kreet’s outlines in repayment

“No. You’re right. If only they were all like Grace,” Kreet agreed.

They were quiet for a while before Kreet spoke again.

“Do you miss them?”

“Miss who? The kids?”

“My boobs.”

“Oh. Those. Well, they _were_ kinda fun to be honest. But hey, you still have more than any other kobold woman I’ve seen!”

“Except Miss Tribi.”

“Kreet... Miss Tribi has more of _everything_.”

Kreet laughed and straddled her husband.

“She’d crush you,” Kreet warned and began grinding.

“Undoubtedly,” Kallid said

“We could make more, you know…”

“Boobs?”

“Kids.”

“So, both!” Kallid laughed, then hushed himself.

******************************************************

It was during the very heart of the night, when even the kobolds had all gone to sleep that it began. It was not a secret revenge from Big Jake. It was not some deep plot by the Bishop of Pelor or the King. In fact, it was not intentional at all.

The gods could foresee it of course. They could have prevented it technically, however they had long ago learned not to interfere with Fate. Fate had a way of making things even worse if they tried.

Eilistraee was not looking that night, but she knew it was coming of course. Pelor did too for that matter. But they did not meddle that night. They dared not. This was Fate’s domain.

Down in the kitchen an hour earlier, a stray ember had fallen off the shovel as the cook cleaned the firebox and rolled away unnoticed. It rolled completely off the stone hearth and onto the wooden floor, coming to rest where the floor met the wall.

It might well have gone out. To any human eye, even after the light had been put out in the kitchen, it wouldn’t have been noticed. But deep within still glowed a red-hot core.

Even then, by itself it wouldn’t have caught. But the fates decreed a spatter of grease had happened to hit the wall in the very spot some days before.

The glow expanded. The wood began to glow in sympathy. Slowly the glow expanded along the wood and upwards. Then it touched the grease which acted as candle wax to the wood’s wick.

A flame came to life.


	52. The End - (Kreet 84)

Kreet awoke to shouts of “Fire!” from the hallway and already knew it was bad. The smell of smoke was heavy and her head didn’t feel right. Kallid was slow to wake up as well but she got him moving quickly.

He threw open the window while Kreet checked on the children. Their room was even thicker with smoke but she grabbed both Night and Grace while Kallid threw up the kids’ window.

“Kallly! Don’t worry about the window. The air is just going out anyway. Get Kalindra!” she shouted. She heard running feet outside but there was another sound that she feared was likely the rumbling of fire.

“Mom?” NIght said, uncomprehending.

“Just hold onto me Night. And hold your sister too.”

The hallway was in pandemonium with tenants rushing both directions.

“Kally? You have Kalindra?”

“I do Kreet,” he called over the human shouting.

She soon saw what was causing the problem. The flames were coming from downstairs. Some people were trying instead to get out by the windows.

“Follow me Kallid!” Kreet yelled, then raced through the legs to the stairs going down to the tavern. While she did see flames in the kitchen, they weren’t blocking the stairs. She thought about yelling back to the people to go ahead and go this way - but, cruel as it may sound - her first priority was to get her kids out.

However, it was very hot once she got to the tavern. Grace started to cry.

“We’ll be out in a second honey,” she assured her, then ran full speed into the outside door, turning her back to it. She saw Kallid and Kalindra right behind her.

The door didn’t budge.

Kallid saw fear in his wife’s eyes, but he didn’t stop.

“The courtyard!” he yelled.

At that moment, glass shattered nearby and they raced to the other side of the tavern. Kreet saw that the windows had broken and knew that even if the door failed to open there, they could at least get out by the windows.

Fortunately the door opened and all five kobolds spilled out into the blessed air outdoors. They were all coughing by then, but Kreet breathed a sigh of relief. They were all safe.

But there were other tenants in there. It appeared everyone was trying to get out from the windows on the other side of the building.

“Kally, stay with the kids. I’m going around to the front to see if I can help.”

Kallid waved her away in between coughs and she raced around the stables and to the front of the street. There she saw a crowd of people looking at the building. Relieved, she recognized most of them as her customers.

“Marge!” she shouted when she saw her friend’s face.

“Kreet! You’re out! Kallid? The kids?”

“We’re all out. We got out by the courtyard in back. The tenants?”

“All accounted for, thank the gods. But I don’t know what we’re going to do about the Inn. There’s some people rounding up a bucket brigade, but it’s going to be too late Kreet. I’m so sorry!”

Kreet patted her hand. “It’ll be fine Marge. As long as everyone is okay. I don’t think I have anything for healing smoke poisoning, but see if you can find Dr. Stevens. He may know of something. I’m headed back to my family. Oh, and see if you can get them farther away from the building.

Kreet ran back around to where she’d left her family. But right away she knew something was wrong. Grace and Kalindra were where she’d left them, but as she got closer she saw they were both looking up at the building. Then she realized she heard Kallid yelling for NIght.

“What?!!” She shouted at her girls as she neared them.

“My puppet!” Kalindra cried and suddenly Kreet put it together. Kallid was oblivious to her as she came up behind him.

“Night!” he said when he saw her. “He _just_ flew back in!”

Kreet looked at the glowing interior through the door they’d come out of. It was only a few steps in, up the stairs. The doors would already be open.

She grabbed Kallid by the shoulders and forced him to face her.

“Kallid.”

He looked back, momentarily uncomprehending.

“I _have_ to Kally. Do you understand? I _have_ to. Take care of them.”

She left him no time for to protest. She was back inside before he could think to do anything about it.

Inside, it was hot. Terribly hot. The glow from the kitchen had become an inferno, and she realized it was far too close to the stairs. But surely they would last a few seconds more.

She heard Kallid screaming something behind her, but she couldn’t stop. She made it as far as the top of the stairs before the building collapsed around her. Her last thoughts were that she hoped Night had made it out.

In fact, had she heard Kallid clearly, she would have heard his plea that Night was back. But she had not heard.

And then Kreet died for the second time.

***************

Once again she was conscious of the comforting white light that meant eternity. But she didn’t care about that light. She didn’t give a goddamned fuck about the white light. She looked around desperately for the jewel. She began screaming.

“WHERE THE FUCK IS IT, KA’PLO! I need it now! I’ve GOT to go back!!!!”

“Be at peace,” she heard a voice.

“FUCK PEACE! WHERE’S THE GODDAMN JEWEL!?”

Then she saw it. Black and menacing against the grey and white. She willed herself to it.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she cried impatiently. “Pain, coldness… I know, I know. But my damned kids are there and I don’t give a fuck about the rest!”

The darkness grew. It enveloped her. It covered her finally from head to toe and the whiteness vanished.

She was laying on her back, and she heard a steady dripping coming from somewhere. It had been a long time since she’d used her eyes in total darkness, but it came back to her instinctively.

She was underground again. But it smelled different. She hadn’t been in this place before anyway.

Suddenly her loss hit her. She began to scream. She railed against the gods - Pelor and Eilistraee and all of them. She’d have torn away the pendant that marked her as a Cleric if the damn jewel had left her anything at all. But no, it left her only life.

“ _I WANT MY FAMILY BACK!!!_ ” She screamed into the empty cavern. “Oh Night, please be alright.”

She stayed that way for a long time, wailing a lament to the rocks around her. When she saw the other kobolds timidly approach, she didn’t care. She knew she would have to care soon, but she had too much grief to deal with now to be concerned with anything as trivial as life.

*********************************

Night was alright. In fact he had brought Kalindra her puppet back as promised. But his dad was screaming his mother’s name into the fire. He didn’t understand that. His mother had ran around to the other side of the building. She wasn’t in there. And his father had seen him come out of the window.

Then something gave way in the building and even his father had to step back as things started falling in on themselves inside.

His father backed up to where his three children stood, and sat down hard. The building was crumbling and they had never seen their father cry before.

“It’s okay Da,” Grace said.

Kallid turned grief stricken eyes to his daughter. She had Kreet’s eyes.

Night didn’t understand yet, but he went to stand next to his father too, and his father held them all close.

“Where’s Mom?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Night,” his father said, standing back up and squaring his shoulders. “But if she’s not in there,” he said - pointing to the ruined building that now had flames licking out its windows, “then I’m going to find her.”


	53. Epilogue - (Kreet 85)

By the time the bucket brigade actually got going, the Inn was gone, as was the attached stables. Their main task was simply to keep the fire from spreading and they accomplished that task so the blaze was confined to just those two businesses.

It was mid-afternoon when a group of neighbors spoke with Kallid and offered a place for him and the children to stay. In a daze, he accepted and they all walked slowly away from the smouldering pile that had been their home. When he awoke, he didn’t even remember where he was. It didn’t feel real, though the smell of smoke was still heavy in the entire neighborhood.

But the children were safe. He heard Night and Kalindra in the next room playing with the human children. Grace was watching him from the bed.

“Where’s mom?” she asked when she saw he’d awoken.

The light outside was either fading or morning was coming. He wasn’t sure which.

“She’s gone away, Grace. Far away I think,”

“The other kids say she’s dead,” Grace said, looking away.

For a brief moment, Kallid thought they might have found her body. If they had, he would accept it. But if not, he would believe in the Resurrection Stone she’d told him about. He had to.

Kallid got up and stretched, then walked out to thank his hosts. He knew them well, but though he was indebted to their hospitality, he had only one thought. Fortunately they offered to babysit the kids, knowing he would have to be heading back to the Inn.

Grace didn’t want to let him go, but he asked her to watch over Night and Kalindra. When phrased as a request to help him out, she agreed eagerly and he left to go back.

There were people picking through the ruins already. The bucket brigade had doused the last of the hot spots and now nothing was left but ashy mud, half-burnt timbers and sections of stone that had been largely unburnt. The larger pieces of rubble had already been moved out to a pile in the courtyard.

As he walked towards the people who were working on the ruin, he saw a man who noticed him and spoke to a figure beside him. Marge turned around and walked towards Kallid.

“We’ve found nothing, Kallid. We’re just getting down to the tavern though.”

He nodded. “I don’t think you’ll find her, Marge.”

“Kallid, you saw her go in.”

“I know. It’s hard to explain. But I don’t think she’s there. She had something. The Bishop called it a resurrection stone. I think it would have taken her away.”

“Kallid…” Marge began, but he stopped her sympathy.

“No, it’s okay Marge. I know you don’t believe me and you think I’m dreaming. But I’m not. You could ask the Bishop. But we still have to look anyway. If I’m wrong, I’m not going to deny it. Yes, I obviously hope you won’t find her body. But I don’t think you will either. Have you got to the stairs yet? She would have been around there I think.”

“It’s hard to tell, Kallid.” she said as they continued towards the ruin. “It’s mostly just a bunch of burnt wood. It all looks the same but for stone and metal.”

Kallid climbed over some rubble and into the space that once had been the tavern. He looked around to get his bearings and headed over to where he thought the stairs would have been.

“Kallid,” Marge said behind him. “I’m going to my mother’s house with my sister tomorrow.”

He turned around and nodded.

She knelt down and he accepted her hug.

“I’m sorry it turned out this way, Marge. We only meant to help,” Kallid began, but choked on his words. “We didn’t mean for all this to happen!”

“Oh Kallid, now you’re just talking nonsense. I know that. Everybody knows that. There’s talk that the King has already decreed he will rebuild it. But… I can’t. I’m getting too old to run a place anyway. It’s time for me to move on with my life.”

Kallid smiled. “Thanks Marge. For everything you’ve done for us. Maybe we’ll come visit you someday.”

“I’d like that. I really would. Just… Let me know in advance. My mother’s not going to be used to kobolds.”

Kallid chuckled. “I will. You’ve got a place to stay?”

“Oh yes. It’s funny. I’m staying with June of all people! I would not have expected that day to ever come when you and Kreet came into the place!”

“Well, it’s getting dark. I’m going to keep looking, but you’d better head back.”

Kallid watched her climb gingerly over the rubble and back to the street, then he turned back to the area he’d identified as somewhere near where the stairs must have stood. There must have been a lot of rubble here, but it was almost down to Kallid-sized by now, and most was muddy ash. He picked up a shovel nearby, left by some earlier workers obviously. It was awkward to use, but he managed and began shovelling mud from one side and tossing it nearly out to the courtyard - being careful to sift through each shovel full before tossing it.

An hour later it had become pitch dark. There was no moon out, and the stars were obscured by clouds threatening rain. But still he dug, occasionally wrangling some larger bit of debris out of the mud.

He really didn’t expect to find anything - but he knew less than Kreet had about the Resurrection Stone, and she hadn’t known much. But he had to know too, and he didn’t want someone to come to him later to let him know they’d found her. If anyone was going to find her, it had to be him - and he was the only person would could see in the darkness.

People walked by on the road as the night wore on, sometimes looking at him when they heard his shovelling or grunts of strain moving some big object - and as often as not shaking their heads and speaking in hushed tones.

But still he worked on. He stopped seeing people walk by as the night deepened. The city watch strolled by and he presented himself so they knew what he was up to, but they knew him by then and let him continue without hassle.

Then finally, he saw it. He pulled it from out of the muck and cleaned it off with spit and his shirt. He was already a mess. But he held it up to his eyes and smiled. He went back to where he’d found it, but no - there was nothing there but the pendant she’d worn around her neck. He’d seen it when she’d last ran back into the Inn. Any clothes she’d worn would just be ash most likely, but if she were still there it would have encircled her bones. But there were no bones. She was not there.

He put the pendant round his neck, not caring if someone objected to him wearing a Cleric of Pelor’s symbol. As he climbed out of the ruins, he began to smile. As he walked back to where his children were, the smile expanded and tears began to run down his sooty face. He didn’t know where she was. Who knows how long it might take to find her - if ever he could. But wherever she was, she lived. And he knew without a doubt that she would do everything in her power to come back to him - as he would for her.

They brought him a bucket and a towel to rinse off in the street before he entered. He was almost laughing, remembering a day when he’d washed off with Kreet not so far away, though at this hour of the night, he wasn’t worried about anyone seeing a naked kobold in the street. He dried off and wrapped the towel around himself.

Well, maybe not quite naked, he laughed. He had her pendant, after all.

His bleary-eyed hosts might have wondered why he was so upbeat on his return, but he could have kissed them. He found Night, Kalindra and Grace sleeping on the bed. Normally they would probably still be up at this hour, but it looked like playing with the human children had warn them out.

He kissed Night, then Kalindra - that human gesture that kobold’s normally didn’t engage in but that he and Kreet had come to love. He leaned over to kiss Grace but her eyes were open, looking at him.

He smiled at her. “Hi Grace.”

“You’re happy?”

“Yes Grace. I’m happy.”

“Did you find Mom?”

“No. But she’s not dead Grace. Your mother is not dead. No matter what anyone tells you, I’m telling you right now, she’s not.”

Grace smiled. “Good. I miss her.”

“Me too, Grace. Now you go to sleep. Maybe you can dream about her.”

“Goodnight Da.”

Kallid kissed her and returned to his blankets on the floor. He stayed awake till almost dawn, but then he slept deeply and with a light heart.

She _was_ alive.


End file.
